The Two World Line Theory
by fayfairyelf
Summary: Unknown attractor field, unknown world line: "Are you ready, Okabe?". He breathed heavily and tried to calm himself, before he answered, "Ready when you are". With a flick of a lever a bright light luminated the room, as he disappeared. Sidenote: this is kind of a sequel of my other book, 'The Disclosure of the Domino Effect', but you needn't have read it.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any of these characters (besides maybe one) that appear in the story or the concept of the story or Steins;Gate! This is just a fanfiction and should not be taken seriously!

"We're at the lab!", Mayuri yelled, maybe a bit too suspicious, joy lining her face while slowly walking up the stairs. "Yes, indeed we are", Okarin stated, chuckling afterwards and looking up past the CRT shop, just to see an open window and a set of eyes stare back, though he couldn't make out who it was, since the sun was shining directly onto the glass that was covering the person's face. "And we still have enough time to prepare for the surprise party", he added a bit shaken up and scared, while walking up the stairs. But after he went up Mayuri stood beside the door, not being able to keep a smile from her face. "What's wrong, Mayuri? Why don't you open the door?", Okarin asked sceptically narrowing his eyes. "No reason", Mayuri stated, trying to keep her non existent poker face. "Intruiging", Okarin said, not really believing Mayuri, and averted his gaze to the door. "I'm coming in!", he yelled, not really knowing what to expect, and opened the door. Suddenly a popping noise and cheers filled the room. The light turned on, though it didn't effect the brightness in the room, and Okarin saw all of his fellow lab members standing there. Even Kurisu! "Suprise!", Mayuri yelled with a playful grin on her face. "What are you- Kurisu!? You were supposed to be the getting surprised! Not me!", Okarin yelled, shocked to see his red-headed friend standing in front of him with a sky smile. "I arrived earlier than expected, so we decided to surprise you", Kurisu laughed, slightly blushing and scratching her cheek. Then Okarin abruptly turned to Mayuri and looked at her with a hurt face, of course fake. "And you were their accomplice?!", he asked lifting his eyebrows while the others silently watched, how Okarin was going to react. "Well, Mayushii wanted to surprise Okarin once in a while... Ehehehe", Mayuri answered and nervously laughed afterwards. How had Okarin not seen through Mayuri. Suddenly Okarin started laughing like a crazy person, clutching his stomach in pain. He found this too amusing. It was so out of the blue that Kurisu believed that he lost his mind, for a split second. Straight afterwards he rummaged in his lab coat pocket and pulled out his red phone, just to hold it to his ear and talk to himself, again. "It seems like I, Hououin Kyoma, have been tricked by my own lab members. More on that topic later", Okarin stated. "And I thought you changed, after saying my name", Kurisu sighed and slapped her hand against her forehead. "In truth, this is your party though, Makise", Daru added, looking at Kurisu. "So let us commenced operation party popper!", Okarin yelled, lifting his hands up in the air dramatically and glancing Kurisu in the eye while smiling brightly.

"Chris-chan, how was it in America?", Mayuri asked with a curious glow in her eyes. "We kept on working on the Amadeus system that I told you about", Kurisu answered, looking, no rather staring at Okarin. "What are you gawking at, Christina", Okarin asked lifting his eyebrows at the now blushing girl. "N-nothing", Kurisu muttered, looking away from Okarin, "I was just signaling that I told you about the Amadeus system". "Ah right. The memory thing", Okarin stated while grabbing his bottle of Doctor Pepper. "What memory thing, nya?", Ferris asked, curiously looking at Kurisu. "The AI runs on memories of people and creates a charakter that's alike the person's memories", Kurisu tried to explain it simple enough, so that even Mayuri could understand. To her luck. "That's a bit to high for Mayushii", Mayuri stated and giggled afterwards. "I also don't get it", Ruka confessed, slightly blushing. Perhaps that was also just the tint of his cheeks. "Me neither, nya", Ferris sighed, wanting to start some made up story, but Kurisu was fast enough. "It's not that important", Kurisu laughed nervously and hated herself for bringing up science stuff in front of all the other lab members. There was a long and painful awkward silence. "U-uh... I'll grab some fresh air", Kurisu stuttered while hastily running out of the lab. "Wait up, Kurisu", Okarin yelled after her and stood up. "I'll go look after her", he explained and ran after Kurisu shortly after.

"I wonder what happened to Chris-chan?", Mayuri asked, pure confusion in her tone. "Yeah, me too. I've never seen her so flushed", Rukako sighed, looking a bit gloomy. There was another silence. "It's not the same, huh, without the two", Dary stated and looked a bit unsurely around the room. "I think I'm going home for today. I hope you don't mind, Itaru-kun", Yuki confessed and stood up from Daru's lap. "Aw. See tomorrow, Yuki-chan", Mayuri said a bit sad. "Bye", Yuki said smiling sadly and left the lab. But suddenly the remaining lab members heard panicked footsteps rush up the stairs and stared at the door in foreshadow. All of them were expecting Yuki for some reason. That was the most logical to think. Maybe she had forgotten something. But after a violent and noisy creak of the opening door, followed by a few more footsteps, none other than Okarin stood there, dressed all in black staring back at them, looking as surprised as they were. "What the- it worked...?", he uttered, before turning on his heels and seemingly running off. "Mayushii found that weird", Mayuri stated, staring at the door with a puzzled expression. More than usual, when she hangs out with her, to her, smart friends. "Speak for yourself", Daru spoke and nodded agreeingly. Then Moeka silently stood up and decided to walk to the entrance. Afterwards she looked around the corner, from where she heard the quiet voices and saw the nearly impossible. "What's up, Shining Fingers", everyone heard in the distance. "Why do you call her that, again?", Kurisu sighed, obviously annoyed, and walked by Moeka, before sitting down on the couch next to Ferris. After that Okarin, surprisingly in a lab coat again, walked in and stopped next to Moeka. "Let me enlighten you", he yelled pointing at the confused girl with glasses who looked as shocked as the rest of the lab members and stared at Okarin dumbfounded. "Shining Fingers is the name of an individual whose superpower is typing with the speed of light. Therefore, Shining Fingers", Okarin explained, at the end staring up into nothingness, with a feeling of pride. But his dramatic speech only seemed to faze Kurisu, who sighed let her head drop. Then suddenly Okarin noticed that the states of confusion weren't because of his completely logical explanation of the name 'Shining Fingers', but were because of something else. "Why are you all looking at me like I just jumped out of a time machine", Okarin questioned while slowly spinning around to face Mayuri, who seemed the most disturbed. "Okarin just came here a few seconds ago, but with different clothes", Mayuri explained and broke eye contact with Okarin, "He seemed so sad". Mayuri gave a sad smile. "But that can't be. Okabe was with me the whole time", Kurisu argued, getting a distrustful glance from practically everyone. "If this is a prank, this isn't funny", Daru stated, not seeming very happy. In this moment, all the lab members stared at Okarin, expecting him to start laughing like a maniac and reveal how he did this prank. But quite the opposite happened. "Then what you have seen, must've been some sort of Fata Morgana", Okarin guessed, not sure himself, what happened. "Dude, this isn't cool", Daru sighed while crossing his arms. "This is no prank", Okarin explained with a serious face. "Maybe it's a doppelganger!", Mayuri suggested with a glow in her eyes, that maybe once she could help. "I'm impressed that you know such vocabulary, dear Mayuri, but no. That can't be", Okarin explained, earning a glare from Kurisu. "Maybe... We should look for him", Ruka suggested with a nervous little smile. "Good point, Rukako", Okarin agreed. "But I shall not go. For if he is from the future, we don't know what that may cause", he explained with a sly grin. "Fine", Kurisu uttered as she stood up, followed by every one else, besides Moeka. "Are you not coming with us, Moe-nya", Ferris asked the girl with glasses. She just shook her head and pulled Okarin down to sit next to her. Literally right next to her. The touch between them was very awkward to Okarin, but he couldn't convince himself to stand up and find anything to do, because there was nothing to do. 'That damned assistant is doing her job too well', Okarin thought to himself and sighed. "Wish us good luck", Kurisu stated as she oft the lab, not hearing Okarin's parting words: "You will need it".

"Damn it. I hope this works. If not I'm doomed", Okarin murmured, fumbling with some phonenic device in his hands, while sweat beads formed on his forehead. "Okay", he uttered and cautiously looked at his surroundings. The only thing audible was the rain pouring down and hitting the streets and a few cars rushing by the alley Okarin was hiding in. No soul was to be seen in the darkness of the night. Then Okarin pressed a button and held the phone to his ear. "Hello?", he asked looking very nervous. Is that you, Okabe? "Yes it is", he answered, relief spread across his face. So what are the circumstances there where you are? "It seems like in this world line-". "So that's where you are", a distant female voice cut Okarin off. Who's that?! Wait, is that- "Kurisu...", Okarin mumbled wide eyed. "I thought I told you to wait at the lab. Huh... Why are you so stubborn", Kurisu sighed and slowly walked closer to Okarin. You have to leave! Okarin on the other hand backed up with every step Kurisu took. "Tutturu~", Mayuri yelled from the other side of the alley. Suddenly Okarin tensed up, as he heard the familiar greeting with the to it belonging voice. "Wait, you are not the Okarin from here", Kurisu said, realizing what she had just been doing. "Well, at least we have you cornered now", she added, still calm and as if nothing. "What's wrong, Chris-chan?", Mayuri asked while still walking towards Okarin, unlike Kurisu who had just stopped. Then Okarin averted his gaze to approaching Mayuri and stared at her. Okabe-san! You have to run! You know what, tell me what Divergence number and I'll- Suddenly Okarin dropped the phone out of pure surprise, ultimately falling in a puddle of water, as Mayuri wrapped her arms around him. "What are you-?". "Mayuri! Get away from him! He may be dangerous!", Kurisu yelled running toward Mayuri and Okarin. Then Mayuri held out an arm to stop Kurisu and explained with a small smile on her face, "Okarin is Okarin. And this Okarin really needs a hug". At that moment Farris and Daru came running toward the voices, along with Ruka. "Is everything okay, nya?", Ferris asked, worry spread across her face. "We heard you yell, so we-", Daru explained and froze when he saw Mayuri hugging Okarin. "Is that-". "Yes", Kurisu answered Daru's question and nodded, "That is the Okabe you were talking about before".

"So how did it go, Christina. You look troubled. Couldn't find me?", Okarin asked in a mocking tone, lifting his eyebrows and getting up from the couch. "The problem is that we found him. You. Whatever", Kurisu confessed, her cheeks pink, and sighed afterwards. "Hashida is questioning him right now. Especially asking the question of what will happen if you were to meet. He should come any second with the answer", Kurisu explained, taking a seat on the couch. "Oh", Okarin uttered and sat down next to Kurisu. "Do you know what the reason may be to this?", Okarin asked now, looking Kurisu in the eye. "How should I know", Kurisu murmured, shrugging, and broke the eye contact. "I don't know. Maybe because you look like you have a theory to why this is going on", Okarin stated annoyed and averted his gaze to the entrance. "No I don't!", Kurisu answered, maybe a bit too loud and suspicious, getting a grin from Okarin. "Oh really?", he asked, lifting his eyebrows. But before Kurisu could answer, two people walked into the lab. "There's good news and bad news". One of the people was Daru, seeming pretty normal, but something in his tone of voice hints that something really messed up happened. Kurisu and Okarin stayed silent, because it felt uncalled for to comment now, when Daru hasn't said anything important yet. "Good news is that this Okarin spilled all the beans right away", Daru explains, dropping himself on his chair in front of the computer desk. But he wasn't finished yet. There was still bad news to come. "Bad news is that this Okarin won't get back so fast", Daru sighed and gestured his finger towards the door, for the second person to fully enter the lab. Forward stepped a young man with black, messy hair and brown eyes, wearing all black clothes. He was like a clone of the Okarin in a lab coat, just that they wore different clothings. The Okarin dressed in black smiled nervously and couldn't help but feel awkward. "So... How exactly did this happen. You won't tell me that that is the perfect clone of me, are you", the Okarin in a lab coat asked Daru with a confused expression. Kurisu reciprocated that expression, not understanding how that could happen. Did time brake so bad? Was it because this world line is unstable? "This Okarin came from another world line in the so called Alpha attractor field", Daru began explaining, but now got an even more confused glance from Okarin. "A what?", he questioned. Moments after, the Okarin dressed in black turned to his other self in confusion. "It's the parallel world theory from John Titor. Ah, right. Suzuha never went back in time, so you wouldn't know. But imagine that there are hundreds of similar worlds to this one, but in some way different. Those are called world lines. Specific points of Convergence keep the world lines contained. Those groups are called attractor fields ", Okarin explained to his other self. "Ohh", the Okarin in a lab coat uttered, finally understanding what Daru meant. "And why are you here?", Kurisu now asked with her typical frown. She didn't seem very pleased to have a second Okarin in the same world line. "An experiment", he explained and laughed nervously. "You see, he was forced to work with SERN. So he also had to participate in the experiments. Now they sent him to try and access another world line". "Which doesn't seem like the smartest idea, might I add", Okarin added and grinned. "So can't you just call SERN. I mean, you surely have some communication device, right?", Kurisu asked while standing up. "That's the thing. I don't have one", the Okarin dressed in black answered, before awkwardly shifting his weight. "Then what do we do?", Okarin asked, seeing no solution to the problem, besides constructing a machine to send the other Okarin back. And that's exactly what he said. "We must create a 'world line transference device' ", he explained. "Oh gosh", Kurisu uttered, before sitting down again. "Can we like talk about this tomorrow, 'cause I'm dead tired", Daru whined, getting a glare from Kurisu. "If you want, you can stay here. I have an extra mattress, since my useless assistant once... Never mind. I have an extra mattress", Okarin said, hoping nobody would've noticed his slip of words. "I would be grateful", the Okarin dressed in black thanked and smiled. "Well then I'm out", Daru stated and left the lab. Shortly after that, Kurisu went over to Okarin, acting a bit awkwardly and saying her goodbye, before finally leaving as well. "That tsundere", Okarin sighed while getting out the mattress from the back room. "I know right".

"Tutturu~", Mayuri greeted both Okarins sitting on the couch, sharing a Doctor Pepper bottle and talking about something she couldn't understand. "Oh~... One. Two... There're two Okarins", Mayuri stated, entering the lab and finally getting noticed by them. "Good day, Mayuri. Have you brought the bananas?", the Okarin in his white lab coat said, while the Okarin next to him silently smiled at Mayuri. "I do", Mayuri answered and smiled. Then Kurisu entered shortly after Mayuri, directly walking to the backroom and not even greeting any of the lab members. "Somebody isn't exactly a morning person", Okarin stated, annoyed at Kurisu's disrespect. "Shut up and help me find the microwave oven", Kurisu hissed as she thoroughly searched the backroom, in vain. "Don't you remember? We donated it to the Yanagibayashi shrine", Okarin explained and couldn't help a mocking smile. "Ugh...!", Kurisu uttered and grabbed her head in frustration. "Mayuri", Kurisu said that with the sweetest voice and warmest smile she had. "Would you mind going to the shrine with Okabe?", she asked the black haired girl, getting a sigh from Okarin. "Of course~", Mayuri answered and smiled at Okarin. "You will regret this", Okarin mumbled and stood of from the couch, before pulling his exhausted body to the exit of the lab. At that moment Kurisu dropped her glass of water in herself and groaned. "Payback is a bitch", Okarin mocked with a grin, before leaving the lab with Mayuri. "Can he be any more of a schmuck...", Kurisu sighed, as she desperately attempted to dry her now wet shirt. The Okarin dressed in black just chuckled at that, not wanting to comment on the behavior of his other self. First now Okarin had noticed that Kurisu exchanged her khaki jacket with a lab coat. "Oh, I didn't know you wore a lab coat, Makise", Okarin laughed nervously, hating himself for being so awkward and suppressed a smile. "Of course I do. I am a scientist", Kurisu answered his comment. "And since when do you call me by my family name?", she questioned, her voice reflecting her confusion. "Oh- uh... I just don't feel really comfortable calling you by your name. That's all", Okarin explained and laughed nervously afterwards. Kurisu didn't really understand why, but she decided to believe Okarin. He was Okarin after all.

On the way to the Yanagibayashi shrine, Mayuri and Okarin were having a pleasant conversation about the upcoming ComiMa, before Okarin's phone suddenly started buzzing. "Hello hello. Hououin Kyoma here", Okarin joked while talking on the phone, "What's up, Christina". Without the -tina! Or do you want me to call you names as well, 'Okarin'! Mayuri laughed. "Yeah, okay, whatever", Okarin sighed and suppressed the urge to continue arguing with Kurisu. Are you at the Shrine yet? Because that microwave would be pretty useful right now. "No. Patience is of the essence. We're almost there though", Okarin explained while turning to Mayuri who still smiled at Okarin. Good, then hurry up! We don't have all day! Then the line was cut. "Talk about impatient mad scientists", Okarin commented while putting his phone away again. "What did Chris-chan want?", Mayuri asked innocently, looking ahead again. "She was hurrying us up to get to the Shrine and back faster. Really, does she think we can teleport...", Okarin mumbled and uttered a sigh. "Ruka-chan! Tutturu~", Mayuri yelled while waving at Ruka. "Oh, Mayuri-chan and Oka- uh... Kyoma-san", Rukako said surprised and looked away while blushing. "How's it going, Rukako. Have you been working diligently with the Samidare?", Okarin asked. "Uh... I guess, yes", he answered, not being able to even look Okarin in the eye. "Do you still have the microwave oven that we donated half a year ago?", Mayuri asked while smiling at Rukako. "Actually, yes", he answered while smiling shyly. "Good. Would you mind us lending it?", Okarin asked, taking a step closer to Ruka. "Um... I have to ask my father first, but I think that should be fine", Rukako answered, before turning around and running into their Shrine office. "Ruka-chan is so nice", Mayuri stated, smiling to herself. "Indeed, he is", Okarin sighed and wiped the sweat off of his forehead. 'But he's a guy', he reminded himself and mentally sighed, again. "It sure is hot", Okarin then stated while walking into the cool shade of a nearby tree. "Oh Okarin", Mayuri giggled and followed him under the tree. Suddenly Ruka appeared out of the blue in front of the pair. Without realizing it, they had been standing under the tree for a span of ten minutes, not being really aware. "My father allowed you to borrow the microwave oven", Ruka said while smiling slightly. "Yes, of course. Your father is a generous man. Remember that, Rukako, in the case of need, for everyone has dire situations", Okarin thanked Ruka in his own way, by giving him his 'wise' advice. "Y-yes sir", Rukako stuttered and stared Okarin in the eye, while blushing and smiling.

"A little bit more, Okarin!", Mayuri cheered, walking ahead of Okarin, yet still facing the lab coated man, who was drenched in sweat, and carried the microwave oven using both of his hands, though he was still out of breath. "We're almost there!". "I... Know... . But still...", Okarin muttered with a hoarse and dry voice. "Finally you decided to come around", Kurisu yelled while leaning out of the window with an upset face. "Why did I have to... schlep this from the... Yanagibayashi Shrine", Okarin complained as he stepped closer to the lab entrance. "Huh...", Kurisu sighed and disappeared from the window. "Let me help you", she said while running down the stairs and grabbing halt of the other side of the microwave. "That's a bit late, Christina", Okarin stuttered while grinning and stared Kurisu in the eye. Then Kurisu gave him a glare whilst narrowing her eyes, causing Okarin to look away and mumble, "Th-thank you...". After carrying the microwave oven up to the lab, Kurisu went over to the white board and started to explain the progress she and the Okarin frkm the other world line made in the last hour. "Thanks to the research from Okabe while working one and a half years with SERN, this should've been easy. But it seems like we'll have to rebuild the whole microwave oven and make a time machine", she explained and sighed. "And why a time machine? Can't we somehow build a device to send a message to SERN about somehow getting you back?", Okarin questioned, feeling a little uneasy about creating a time machine. "Because we can make the world line transference device out of a time machine, from what I remember", the Okarin dressed in black answered, not averting his gaze off the floor. Kurisu nodded. "So that should be easy. Just make the Kerr black hole a bit bigger, to fit a whole human inside, and then make it send that information to the other world line, right?", Okarin guessed and proudly smiled at his brilliance. "Easier said than done", Kurisu sighed, "We'll have to work and test a lot". "Then commence operation-". "There will be no operation name", Kurisu interrupted Okarin, leaving him speechless. 'That woman has spunk, to interrupt Hououin Kyoma!', Okarin thought to himself and sighed. "Fine!".


	2. Chapter 2

"Muahahahaha", Okarin started, laughing maniacally while putting his hands on his hips. "It is complete (and probably functional). The phonewave (name subject to change) has returned", he yelled and then averted his gaze to the floor. "Once again we will be entering the land of time travel", Okarin said and gave a distant smile. "You can leave all of the improprieties for later", Kurisu stated while crossing her arms. Okarin sighed. "Commence Operation Verdandi!", Okarin yelled, striking a pose and giving a smug smile. "Verdandi?", Daru asked turning away from his computer and staring at Okarin. "I think we already used this operation name", the Okarin dressed in black sighed and let his head drop. "Certainly", the other Okarin agreed and nodded satisfied with the answer of his other self. "Can we just start", Kurisu sighed and stood up from the couch. "Patience is of the essence, assistant", Okarin stated. "I'm not your assistant", Kurisu hissed and grabbed a banana. "I hope you don't mind us using these bananas", she sweetly asked Mayuri giving her the most warm smile she has ever given anyone. "Mayushii doesn't mind", Mayuri answered smiling back. "Then let's begin", Okarin yelled striking a pose again. "You don't gotta be so dramatic, Okarin", Daru stated, turning back to his computer. "So what will we try to change first?", he asked. "First". Okarin made a dramatic pause for effect. "We shall test the phone microwave without any reprogramming". "To see the results?", Kurisu asked, looking Okarin directly in the eye. "That makes sense", she added while looking away and playing with a strand of her hair. Then she walked over to the microwave oven and placed, accidentally, all the bananas on the tray. "Mayuri, you shall send the D-Mail. Don't make it to elaborate though, or else we may drift in world lines", Okarin explained while stepping over to the microwave oven. "Okay", Mayuri stated whilst getting out her phone and typing a message. "Tutturu~", she mumbled synchronized with her typing. "Good, very good. You there", Okarin said feeling the awkwardness of talking to himself but not showing it, unlike the other Okarin who made a cringed face, "Put the time". The other Okarin nodded and put the timer on 30 seconds, roughly a day. Then Daru started the microwave, before Okarin and Mayuri simultaneously sent the text and opened the microwave oven's door. While lightning bolts emited from the microwave oven, Kurisu realized that she had placed all the bananas and jumped forward while grabbing onto Okarin for momentum, sending him flying backwards, followed by a loud thump. "Okarin!", Mayuri yelled and ran to his side. Okarin slowly opened his eyes and looked around him. "My Reading Steiner didn't activate". He felt the cringe of saying these words. 'Next time, think of a different name, idiot', he screamed at himself, before remembering about their experiment. "That means... Where's the banana?", Okarin started off muttering, but then yelled. "Uhm... It's not in the microwave", Kurisu answered, looking into the microwave oven. "But it's not with the other bananas... Makise?!", the Okarin dressed in black stated, worry spread across his face, as he almost glared at the guilty looking redhead. Then Okarin suddenly sat up and looked Mayuri in the face. "When did you buy the bananas, Mayuri", he asked not averting his gaze. "Mayushii bought them this morning", Mayuri answered, innocently smiling. "Means...".

"A new discovery has been found by Miss Nekaha in Akihabara's Fujitsu Market. Several green gelatinous bananas lay on a pile of other normal yellow bananas. Right of now there is no explanation to this phenomenon, besides it being a children's prank", a news reporter explained in front of the Fujitsu supermarket, a rather tall girl with chocolate brown hair in a half bun and green eyes, Nekaha, standing next to the reporter. "What do you think happened, Miss Nekaha?", the person asked her and held the microphone in front of her mouth. "I don't understand why a kid would put, not only one, but a bundle of jelly bananas in a supermarket. It just doesn't make sense. I think we may actually have a more serious problem than we thought", Nekaha stated her opinion as suddenly something caught her eye. Two identical looking men stormed into the supermarket, one in a lab coat and the other dressed in black, followed by a redhead. "Thank you, Miss Nekaha". Then she was free to go, so she decided to follow the trio. Nekaha entered the shop and directly looked to the right, where the fruit and vegetable section was. There she didn't see news reporters anymore, but just the three people, the ones from before, examining the bananas. But suddenly the red head noticed the extra presence and turned around, locking eyes with Nekaha. "Guys", she said still not averting her gaze and pulling the lab coat from one of the doppelgangers. The dressed in black man, with as messy hair as his doppelganger, turned around and froze, while the other one stared at Nekaha with a weird and challenging stare. "Now who do we have here", the man in a lab coat yelled, giving an evil smirk and pointing at Nekaha. "Shut up, Okabe", the redhead, Kurisu, snapped, glaring at Okarin. "Why are you so interested in those bananas? Were you the ones that placed it there?", Nekaha asked raising her eyebrows in curiosity. Now Okarin couldn't contain himself. "Heh heh heh... Hah hah ha... FUHAHAHAHAHAA!", he started laughing, trying his best to ignore the glare he was getting from Kurisu. "Indeed, yes. We were the ones that placed it there", Okarin yelled across the big room and couldn't keep a mysterious grin in. Nekaha looked shocked, but it wasn't clear if she was shocked, because of Okarin's behavior, or because of the fact that they placed the banana there. "For what purpose did you place it there?", Nekaha questioned, not seeming the least bit annoyed. "That is not for the public eye, but I shall enlighten you", Okarin said and started laughing afterwards again. "I'm guessing he will never come to the point, so I'll just guess. That wasn't just normal gelatin molded in banana shape and placed there as a prank?", Nekaha asked Kurisu, not Okarin who was still laughing. Kurisu was impressed that Nekaha thought that. Most of the people thought it was just a prank, but she seems sure that it wasn't just that. "So if we guess, that you somehow indirectly placed it there, since in the recordings you never entered the market this morning, and the fact that an organic object is now gelatinous, I'm guessing you somehow created a black hole and sent the banana through it. Means you literally have a time machine", Nekaha explained with an evil smile. "But of course, that's just a guess", she added with an innocent smile. Kurisu and both Okarin's were speechless, as to how Nekaha came to that conclusion. Then Okarin grabbed his phone and held it to his ear. "The organization has sent a spy. Her name? Nekaha something, from what I heard. What? But that's terrible news. How shall we silence her?", Okarin started talking to himself on his phone, getting a sigh from Kurisu and suppressed smile from Nekaha. "What?! If that's the choice of Steins;Gate, then so be it. El psy congroo", Okarin finished the talk with himself and started grinning evilly at Nekaha. "Wait... Who the hell is Stein?", Nekaha questioned, seeming legitimately confused. "It's just a word he made it. Don't worry about it", Kurisu sighed and grabbed her temples in shame. "You, Nekaha...". "Miora", Nekaha added. "Yes, Nekaha Miora. You shall become lab member 009!", Okarin yelled and pointed at Nekaha, grinning. Nekaha just shrugged and said, "Okay. Where is this 'lab' ". Now Kurisu was even more speechless. Okarin quickly dug in his lab coat pocket and grabbed a piece of paper, that had the address of the lab. Then Okarin awkwardly walked over to Nekaha, giving her the piece of paper. "Thanks. See ya!". And with that, the girl left the supermarket. "And I thought you were weird", Kurisu commented, feeling a bit disturbed.

"Maybe we should try and increase the speed of the turning", Kurisu said while rubbing her chin. For the last hours they have been trying to send a banana in the past, without gelifying it. "Didn't we already try that", Daru stated, sighing, clearly annoyed and bored. "Might as well try it again", Okarin tried to motivate Daru, but just a another sigh out of him. "Sigh", Daru literally said and changed the setting of microwave oven, while the other Okarin just laughed off the tension and rubbed the back of his head. "But maybe you are right. I think we already did that. Have we tried inverting the signals?", Kurisu asked lifting her brows and instead of asking Daru, looking at Okarin. But since Okarin liked to annoy Kurisu, he took out his phone and held it to his ear. "Hello? Yes, it is I, Hououin Kyoma. Seems like my fellow assistant has become delusional after three straight hours of just experimenting. Or maybe even went crazy because of her perfectionist persona not being able to handle the missing progress", Okarin spoke into the phone, earning a piercing glare from Kurisu. "As sad as it seems, it is true, what Okarin said", Daru confessed. "We can't even do elaborate changes, because we don't know how to exactly change the microwave, to our needs. Only theoretically", Kurisu sighed and shook her head in disappointment. "Means I just came at the right time", a familiar sounding voice suddenly filled the room. Everyone turned around and saw a familiar chocolate brown haired girl standing at the entrance, Mayuri next to her. "Tutturu~! This is Nekaha Mari-". "Miora". "Or Nekami-chan~", Mayuri introduced her friend to the rest of the lab members. While everyone but Mayuri and Daru looked shocked, Nekaha just lifted her hand waved. "Nice to meet you", she said with a smile. "Again", Nekaha added, replacing that innocent smile with an evil grin. Then Okarin got his composure back at pointed her. "You are lab member 009! ", he yelled, a grin now covering his face, making Nekaha's fade. "I sure am. But I do expect to get treated like one. So would you mind, explaining what happened here", Nekaha asked, looking at both Okarin quizzically. "This Okabe". Kurisu pointed at the Okarin dressed in black "Is from another world line", she explained. "Wait what? How is that possible?", Nekaha questioned, getting confused expressions from both Kurisu and the Okarin dressed in black. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?", Nekaha asked, now looking as confused as Kurisu and Okarin. "How do you know about world lines?", Kurisu answered the question, with another question. "From John Titor, obviously", Nekaha answered, as if the most obvious thing in the world. "But... How do you know John Titor, if he never traveled back in time in this world line", Kurisu questioned in a really confused tone. "Oh shi-...", Nekaha muttered, "Then how do I remember him, if he never happened in this world line?". Okarin couldn't help but smile. "You, my friend, seem to have some Reading Steiner as well", Okarin yelled and pointed at Nekaha. "What...?", she uttered, feeling sick. "On the 28th July, what happened?", Okarin questioned, knowing from Kurisu exactly what happened. Nekaha narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Nothing?", she stated. "So you have mild Reading Steiner", Kurisu explained. "What the heck is Reading Steiner?". "It's the ability to retain information across world lines", Kurisu answered, getting an 'aha' from Nekaha. "And since you came here. Do you have any idea what may make the black hole bigger?", the Okarin dressed in black asked Nekaha. "Hmm... . I think you'll have to scrap the whole idea of making the black hole of your microwave bigger, and just try to duplicate it at first. If you find out how to create a black hole, then it should be no problem making it bigger, right?", Nekaha theorized, baffling all the lab members, as to how Nekaha knew about the microwave Bing the time machine. Nekaha seemed to have noticed that. "And those were our handicaps, before you came", Daru then stated, impressed at Nekaha's observation skills, and smirked at Kurisu, who looked pretty annoyed. "Well now I'm here", Nekaha laughed, "So let's take that microwave apart". "It's a microwave oven", Okarin interfered, making Nekaha's face expression into a sour one. "Talk about ruining the moment...!". "The pleasure is mine".


	3. Chapter 3

"Hand me the screwdriver please, Okabe-san", Nekaha bid while still staring intently at the disassembled microwave oven, expecting to get the screw driver handed, but instead had to glance over to her right, where the Okarin from the Alpha attractor field, the Okarin dressed in black, was suppose to be standing, being Nekaha's assistant, just to see another person. "It's Hououin. And if that's too hard for you, then Kyoma is fine as well", Okarin stated and played with the screwdriver in his hand. First now Nekaha got what Okarin was implying. "You really take your act seriously, Hououin-san", Nekaha sighed, not wanting to fight with Okarin right now. "Very well", Okarin said and grinned, before giving the screw driver to Nekaha. "Where is Okabe-san, though", Nekaha asked while unscrewing something. Then Kurisu peeped through the curtain. "I've also been wondering. You just suddenly send him off, without explaining to anyone what happened", Kurisu stated and entered the backroom of the lab. "Oh he is on a secret mission to conquer the secret scroll of Cheshire Break", Okarin answered and smiled evilly. "Which means", Kurisu asked, not understanding what Okarin had said at all. "Which means that right now he is at the maid Cafe 'May Queen Nyannyan's".

"Kyoma!", Ferris exclaimed as she started hugging Okarin. "Uh-", Okarin uttered and was about to say something his other self wouldn't have ever said. So he had to concentrate and think. "It is I, Hououin Kyoma on standby, staying low to hide from the organization. Fuhahahahahahaaa", Okarin started yelling and felt the cringiness. But it seemed like Ferris was suspicious. "For what purpose am I here today", Okarin asked the little pink haired girl. Then, Ferris started telling a tale about a mission on which Ferris participated, finishing her story with: "And because of that, I would like Hououin Kyoma to go and eat dinner with tonight", completely baffling Okarin. "Like a date?", Okarin asked, not being able to hide the redness on his face. "I guess you could say so, nya", Ferris answered a bit quieter and looked away from Okarin, playing with her hair. "So tonight at Tokyo's, nya, main train station", Ferris said and smiled softly at Okarin. "Uh, sure", he answered, totally forgetting his role. Then Ferris left the main room of the Cafe and went into some sort of backroom or staff room. Okarin sighed.

Nekaha burst out in laughter, once she heard that and was fighting for oxygen. "It really isn't that funny", Kurisu said, cross armed. "If I had gone, then I would've turned Ferris down", Okarin argued and turned back to the now dying Nekaha. She was desperately trying to stop laughing, but kept on failing. "Calm down, or the laughing gas will kill you", Okarin stated, not really helping Nekaha to stop laughing. "The laughing... Gas... Will anyway... Kill me", Nekaha shrieked in between laughs, but thankfully slowly calmed down. After that Nekaha continued disassembling the microwave, with the help of Kurisu and Okarin.

"Ugh, finally!", Nekaha uttered and pulled of the final piece of the microwave, revealing something she hadn't expected. "This is not how a microwave should look", Nekaha stated and bit her lip in frustration. "How do you know how a microwave should look", Okarin asked the seemingly obvious, since he got a sigh out of Kurisu. Okarin hadn't caught on yet that Nekaha is an engineer, which Kurisu already noticed. "Isn't your major also engineering? You should know this. Anyways. I know the lay-out of a microwave by heart, so I'm sure this isn't how one looks like", she answered and grinned. That's when Okarin realized. "Wait. How old are you?!", Okarin asked, practically yelling. "I'm almost nineteen, why?", Nekaha answered as if it weren't relevant at all. Okarin's jaw was now hanging wide open. "So. To figure out how the microwave creates black holes, I'll need an actual lab, because the utensils here are not the best or are non existent", Nekaha said, not in a deliberately insulting manner, but still insulted Okarin. "And what lab then?", he questioned, clearly upset. "Any other lab, as a matter of fact", Nekaha explained and grinned, this time wanting to mock Okarin. "You could use the lab at my university", Kurisu suggested while getting glared at by Okarin, but ignoring it. "Sure thing, but how far away is it. Maybe we could go there today?", Nekaha asked and raised her eyebrows. "You can go. I'll send you the directions. I just need to stay here and". Kurisu glared at Okarin. "Sort a few things out", Kurisu explained, smiling sweetly at the girl. "Ohh, I see. Don't go too wild kids", Nekaha laughed, leaving the lab directly after that for dramatic effect, but reentering it to carry the microwave parts to Kurisu's university. "That pervert!", Kurisu uttered, once she left, while texting her the address of the university. "I think the pervert here, is the one with the perverted mind", Okarin stated and couldn't help but give a smug smile. "Idiot...!", Kurisu mumbled and pressed enter on the key, sending the message to Nekaha. "So what things did you want to 'sort out' ", Okarin mocked Kurisu. "Not what you think, pervert", Kurisu answered and walked toward the entrance of the lab. "We need to wait for the other Okabe to come around for that", Kurisu explained and now glared at Okarin again, "Because you just hooked up a person from another world line with Ferris!".

"What was that all about!", the Okarin from the Alpha attractor field yelled, not wearing Okarin's clothes anymore. "It was to spare poor Ferris's heart", Okarin explained, slightly smiling. "From what?", the other Okarin asked with raised eye brows. "U-uh...", Okarin uttered while blushing and scratching his cheek, trying to find the correct words. "I don't like Ferris in that way", Okarin said quietly. "And so you send me?!", the other Okarin yelled again, looking very confused at how Okarin was thinking. "That's like slavery", Kurisu now joined it. "No! It's not! He had the choice to not go to the Cafe", Okarin argued. Now the other Okarin looked over to Kurisu. "He blackmailed me". "Nooo! That I was conveniently debating whether I should maybe convince the others to stop working on the time machine". "Which wouldn't have worked, by the way!", Kurisu interrupted and now glared at the Okarin from the Alpha attractor field. "Is not blackmailing!", Okarin argued and crossed his arms, seeming legitimately convinced with his reasoning. "You're just hopeless...", Kurisu sighed and grabbed her forehead in shame. "And now I have to go to a date with Akiha Rumiho! The daughter of the once most powerful person in Akihabara!", Okarin exclaimed and messed his hair up in frustration. "You could've just turned her down. Would've been a loss to Okabe", Kurisu stated and now also crossed her arms. "Ugh...", the other Okarin uttered and turned his body to the door, "I'm going. Wish me luck". "Good luck. You'll need it", Okarin stated and suppressed a laugh. "Ha-ha-ha", were Okarin's last words, before leaving the lab.

"Are you still going to go to the university. It has already been a month-". "Of course not, idiot", Kurisu answered and couldn't help but blush. "Then I guess, we should get started, right?", Okarin asked and also couldn't help the redness spreading across his face. "Right. Just that I help you, I guess".

"So much for Makise-san coming", Nekaha sighed and put her phone back down. "What do you mean?", a little girl asked, that was standing right next to her, seemingly helping Nekaha disassemble the microwave, again. "Somebody texted me saying that she couldn't come, because of, and I quote 'personal reasons'. She also said to deliver this message to 'Maho-senpai' ", Nekaha explained and air air quoted the parts that she took directly from Kurisu's text. "Oh, has it already been a month?", the girl thought out loud, getting a confused expression from Nekaha. "What?". "Never mind", the girl finalized and sighed. "Seems like we'll be here a while".


	4. Chapter 4

"Kyoma!", Ferris exclaimed and gave a soft smile at the appearance of the lab coated Okarin. Directly after Okarin laid eyes on the small pink haired girl, he flushed up and had to look away. "What's wrong?", Ferris asked and walked into the field of vision of the innocent man. Ferris wasn't wearing her typical maid clothes, nor the usual cat ears. She had her hair opened and was wearing a dark purple off the shoulder dress. "F-Ferris...", was all Okarin managed to utter. "What's wrong?". "Nothing", Okarin ultimately said and managed to look Ferris in the eyes, though wasn't able to hide his red cheeks. Ferris smiled at that and walked over to him, linking arms with the nervous individual. Then they both entered the high class restaurant. Okarin felt overwhelmed at how expensive it looked. There were a lot of chandeliers hanging from the high dome, illuminating the room in a soft yellowish orange. The floor had a dark chiseled wood finish, while the chairs were white, decorated with swirls, and the tables had a pure white tablecloth. Okarin almost felt bad wearing this attire, a lab coat, to something like this. The entire idea of wearing a lab coat to such an important event suddnely felt absurd, and Okarin felt awkward, getting all the weird stares. But it didn't seem to faze Ferris at all. She even seemed happy to see him in his lab coat. "What is your name, Madam and Mister", a well dressed man, standing at a small and tall table, asked, already touching the book with all today's reservations. Ferris gently smiled, then closer to the man and leaned over the table to get closer to his ear. A second later the face of the man changed abruptly, as he had heard Ferris' words and he bowed in apology. "Your table is right over here, Akiha-san", the man said panicky and pointed to a table at a huge panorama window, with an outlook on the city of Tokyo. "Thank you, Sir", Ferris thanked and smiled, tucking her arm into Okarin's again. The man was left dumbfounded at how a girl such as her would go out with a person in a lab coat.

'Should I really tell her... I'm not sure... But... Okabe-san...'. Ruka blushed at the mere thought of Okarin and started to shake his head. 'That's why I'll tell Mayuri-chan... So that I can explain these feelings...', he thought to himself and determinedly nodded. "Tutturu~ Ruka-chan", sounded from outside the shrine, as a chill ran down Ruka's spine. Would he really be able to tell her. Ruka nodded once more, not as determined as before, but still brave enough to exit the shrine and walk onto the wooden deck. "Hey Mayuri-chan...", Ruka uttered with his now slightly clocked throat and attempted to smile. That small little smile ended out more sad than happy, though. "Is something wrong, Ruka-chan?", Mayuri questioned with a worried expression. "N-no... No... It's just that I...". Ruka couldn't continue without looking away from Mayuri and blushing. "I... I...", he started and narrowed his eyes in nervousness. "I think... I have feelings... for...". Mayuri stared intently at Ruka, but he didn't continue. He couldn't continue. "Could it be that you love Okarin", Mayuri innocently stated and smiled at Ruka. Out of instinct he backed away and blushed, shaking his hands and exclaiming, "No...! Why should I... We're both guys afterall...!". Mayuri's mouth formed an 'o', as she glanced to the ground in shame. Ruka heaved a loud sigh and then truly confessed. "I have feelings for Oka- uhhh... Kyoma-san...", he said. Now it was his turn to look to the ground in shame. Silence enveloped the two for a few moments, as the sun continued to set and leave a pink tone in the clouds, when a weird high pitched noise came out of Mayuri. She her with cosplay material filled bags and ran up to the deck and hugged Ruka tightly. "Uh- uh... Mayuri-san...?", Ruka asked with all her energy, since that delicate looking girl wasn't as delicate as he thought and smashed all the air out of his lungs. Mayuri had tears in her eyes, as she brightly smiled at her opposing. "I'm so happy for you", she squealed, and her eyes also showed that she was truly happy for Ruka and Kurisu. Even though she...

"So, Kyoma. What would you like to eat?", Ferris asked Okarin, a gentle smile lining her face. Okarin was shocked, at the sentence Ferris had just uttered. "You... Where did the 'nya' go?", he asked and couldn't even hide his shocked expression. "Eh?". Ferris looked at Okarin quizzically and tilted her head in confusion. The smile had already disappeared moments ago and was replaced with confusion and maybe a tiny bit sadness. "I mean... You always... How to say this", Okarin tried his best to form coherent sentences, no words, but failed. "Oh. Now I'm Akiha Rumiho. My cat ears are off", Ferris, no Akiha explained and gave Okarin a warm smile again. Okarin tried to reciprocate it, however he was to late to stop himself. He was suppose to be the great Hououin Kyoma. A mad scientist doesn't smile at a girl who's sitting in front of him at an expensive restaurant. Or so he told himself. But it was too late to turn back now. Akiha had already seen the smile and it had already reached her brain. She was pretty much already onto Okarin. But did he let that faze him? 'No! I must think like a mad scientist. Even if it is awkward. Rumiho likes Hououin Kyoma, not Okabe Rintaro', the man chanted to himself over and over again, until he decided to answer Akiha's original question. "Uhm... I'd like some of this", Okarin said and pointed on what he wanted on the menu. "Great, I'll get the same then too", Akiha stated and didn't seem like she was going to change her mind, even if Okarin had pleaded her. Actually, Okarin had taken the cheapest thing he could find on the menu that was still food and was edible. He'd hoped that Akiha wouldn't have noticed, but judging by the sly smile on her face, he was sure that she knew. 'This was going to be a long and awkward night'.

"Are you ready to pay yet, Mister", a waiter came by after roughly two hours of talking. Okarin had somehow managed to be like the original Okarin, at least it seemed so to himself, and sighed. But before he could even utter a single word, Akiha had already spoken. "Yes please". After the waiter enquiringly glanced from Okarin to Akiha over and over, he nodded, bowed and walked off, soon to return with the check. When Okarin now also stared at Akiha quizzically, she just winked at him and smiled. 'So Rumiho is going to pay... Isn't this already humiliating enough", Okarin stated bitterly and mentally slapped himself for letting her do that. Akiha, seeming to read his mind - or his expression - just smiled again and reassured him. "Don't worry about it", she spoke and seemed to be happy to pay for Okarin. "Here's your check, Madam", the waiter said, a bit awkwardly, of course not being used to women paying, and put a piece of paper on the table. Akiha immediately covered it with her hands and pulled it in front of her. Then she got out a beige portemonnaie and gave the waiter the required money, plus a tip obviously. The waiter bowed, again, then said 'farewell' and left the two alone. At first they just awkwardly stared each other. Then Akiha decided to say something, even though she was surprisingly nervous and blushed. "This was nice", she finally stated and gave a small smile to Okarin. She knew it was coming. "Ferris. In truth I am not the original Okabe Rintaro. I'm the duplicate", Okarin confessed, maybe a bit too straightforward, with a guilty feeling. It had been fun with Akiha, but it felt wrong. It felt like betraying her, so he had to tell her. Even if it meant destroying the relationship between the original Okarin and her. "I know", she spoke, not bothered at all. Okarin didn't understand anything. Naturally, Akiha noticed his reaction and gave an evil smile while standing up from her chair. "Cheshire break. My secret power to see into people's hearts and tell what they really feel, nya", she almost yelled and got a lot of attention, not only from the guests, but also from the restaurant staff. And the 'nya' at the end, meant that Ferris was back. "Oh... Right", Okarin nervously laughed and scratched the back of his head. Then she sat down again and smiled at Okarin. "Thank you for coming", was the last thing, before awkwardly standing up again and leaving the restaurant. 'I am not sure if that was a disaster or not', Okarin thought to himself while standing up as well and slowly exiting the restaurant, making sure not to catch up to Ferris.

"So, dude. How did it go with Ferris-chan?", Daru questioned the Okarin, finally in black again. "It was... Okay", he confessed and gave a nervous smile. "It was a ship wreck, then", Kurisu sighed and grabbed her forehead in shame. "It wasn't. Well, I don't know, to be honest. Rumi- Ferris seemed happy... I guess?", Okarin said, not really believing himself. "With your social skills, I'm sure whatever you would've done, she would've seemed 'happy' ", Kurisu stated and frowned. "Silence, assistant! Shouldn't you be working with that useless engineer and your tiny colleague?", the lab coated Okarin defended himself, especially since Kurisu said he had no social skills. "So you're not neglecting it", Kurisu stated, still frowning, not showing any hint of motivation. "Ngh...", Okarin uttered and clenched his jaw. 'That useless assistant really is a genius!', he exclaimed in his thoughts and decided to disregard his rude redheaded friend. "Where did Mayushii go anyways?", Daru asked and still stared at his computer screen intently, seemingly just starting a game or browsing, since he still participated on his surrounding conversations. "I think she went to the Shrine to discuss something with Rukako. I didn't understand why she didn't let me come along and cheer him to swing his Samidare though", Okarin stated, a bit upset that he couldn't escape the scorching heat of the lab. It was a bit cooler outside. "It's girls stuff. Things you wouldn't understand", Kurisu stated bitterly and seemed to be implying something that Okarin couldn't quite grasp. He couldn't find any comment to Kurisu's second sentence, but had a comeback to her first statement. "Since they both are girls". Okarin grinned. Kurisu was left speechless and did as Okarin before: just ignored him. "I'll be getting going now. I'm sure Senpai and Nekaha-san are already working hard on the TBA, unlike you lazy...". Kurisu was looking for the right words. "Individuals...", Kurisu added, blushing. And Okarin seemed to know exactly what Kurisu was blushing about. "Wise word choice. Wouldn't want to show your closeted @channe-". "One further word and I'll hang you right here and now", Kurisu spat, as she left the lab, hearing no further comments from any of the three present guys.

"So the inversion of the energy obviously isn't made by the magnetron, since turning the tray into another direction is creating micro black holes. So the energy put into turning the tray is inverting, correct?" Nekaha asked Maho while she was unscrewing a piece from the microwave. "Probably", Maho stated, while also carefully taking a piece of the microwave apart. "That's not true", suddenly Kurisu's voice rang through both their ears. Nekaha turned around to face Kurisu, curiously smiling. "How so, genius girl", she mocked and didn't let that smile fade. "Only when the 42 inch CRT TV from the shop below is turned on, we can send d-mail or memories to the past", Kurisu explained and crossed her arms, after switching her khaki jacket with the lab coat that was hanging in the room. Maho stared wide eyed at Kurisu, feeling utter shock. 'Had she used the Amadeus research to help time leap?', suddenly crossed Maho's mind, as she was once again baffled at Kurisu's intelligence. "Ahh, I see", Nekaha uttered in a loud and clear voice and turned back to the phone wave. "So the electrons from the CRT are getting attracted by the energy put into the microwave, causing them to accelerate at such high speeds that their energy gets inverted, and viola, you got a black hole. It's a miracle that SERN took so long to figure this out", Nekaha stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Maho was left speechless while Kurisu smiled at Nekaha in utter respect. "Then this should be easy?", Kurisu asked and walked to Nekaha's side. "Kinda", she answered, "But we'll need a lot of materials which means we'll need funding, so-". "We have to tell someone with power and convince them", Maho completed the sentence and uttered a sigh. "Correct", Nekaha said and smiled at Maho while clapping her hands. Maho just looked away in shame, since she knew exactly what Nekaha was implying. "Of course I can keep up with your conversations", Maho almost whispered with an upset and sour expression. 'Now there're two geniuses...', she thought to herself and couldn't help but frown. At that moment the door suddenly yanked open and in stepped a rather tall foreign looking man with a smile on his face. "Maho and Kurisu. What brings you here", he greeted the two, seeming to not even notice Nekaha. Both Maho and Kurisu were at a loss of words. "Eh?", Nekaha uttered and stared at the man in surprise. Little did any know that that man was their one way ticket to get a funding.

"I'm not sure, this is a good idea... Mayuri-chan", Ruka tried to argue with the girl pulling him up the stairs into the lab. "Don't worry, Ruka-chan", Mayuri stated and turned her head toward Ruka, giving him a beaming smile. "Tutturu~", Mayuri greeted Okarin and Daru, as she entered the lab, now not holding Ruka's arm anymore. "Already back, Mayuri?", Okarin questioned and chuckled afterwards. "Yes! We were working long and hard!", Mayuri basically yelled with pride and joy. "Hey Mayushii. Would you say-". "Don't make her say perverted things, Daru!", Okarin cut off Daru who was already slyly grinning at the innocent minded girl. "So what were you doing that was so... Censored that I, Hououin Kyoma, couldn't come along with you", Okarin asked, getting a 'really' glance from Daru. "Dude, that came out the wrong way. If Makise were here you'd be doomed", Daru plainly stated disinterested and concentrated back on his game. "But that useless assistant isn't here!", Okarin yelled and lost his composure, ultimately sounding a bit jealous. "Anyway. I brought someone with me", Mayuri explained and gave the person who was shyly glancing around the corner a reassuring smile. First now had Okarin noticed the very feminine, yet not so feminine, figure staring at him. It took him another moment to realize that that person was none other than Ruka. "Ohh. Rukako. What brings you to the lab?", Okarin greeted the feminine boy and stood up from the couch. "U-uh... H-hi, Oka-... K-kyoma-san", Ruka stuttered, his face colored in crimson. Okarin was genuinely confused, as to why Ruka was so nervous and decided to question him about it. "Is it really that cold outside?", Okarin attempted to joke, but couldn't help but cringe at his statement. "N-no...", Ruka answered and fleetingly glanced over to the window, ultimately staring at the floor. Ruka couldn't stare at Okarin. "You see", Mayuri started explaining and smiled, "Ruka-chan has something to tell you". At that moment Okarin's gaze flickered to the blushing being that couldn't even be described as a boy. 'Can I, really tell him...?', Ruka was thinking to himself and trying to scrap up the little courage he had to tell Okarin his true feelings. "Okabe-san...", Ruka began. Okarin could feel that this wasn't the time for his Hououin Kyoma act and didn't even correct Ruka. "I-I...". Now Ruka's grayish purple eyes looked up again, staring directly at Okarin. "I...". Ruka couldn't say it. He just couldn't say it. If he said it, Okarin would just laugh at him. So what's the use of telling him. Then suddenly Ruka saw Mayuri smiling at him reassuringly, a kind of smile a mother would give her child to calm her. And in that moment, he had all the courage he was ever going to have. "Okabe Rintaro!". Okarin was not prepared at getting referred to like that. "I-I have feelings for you!", Ruka yelled with all his might and forced his eyes closed, while sort of bowing. The way Ruka stated it sounded more like a request though, than statement. Ruka was sure to see Mayuri have tears of joy in her eyes, before he completely shut them and, as said before, bowed. "B-but...". Now Okarin was completely speechless. "You're a dude...".


	5. Chapter 5

"Haa?!", Mayuri uttered in a state of pure confusion. Tears slowly welled up in Ruka's eyes. What had he expected? Of course Okarin would have reacted that way, if he hadn't laughed at him. 'Just like that other time...', Ruka thought to himself, as suddenly his head started throbbing. "Not cool, dude", Daru plainly stated and didn't even look at Okarin whilst saying that. "I-I'm sorry... I... Have to go...!", Ruka stuttered and ran out of the lab as fast as he entered it, leaving Okarin as confused as Mayuri. "Why... Was I thinking Okabe-san would accept me...", Ruka sobbed while running down a lonely alley. He slowly came to a stop, as he couldn't continue to run anymore. He didn't need to anyway. "I... Just...". The tears started flowing out of his eyes and almost immediately dripped onto the pavement. "Oh, who do we have here", a voice suddenly echoed through the alley. Ruka knew that he had to leave quickly, but he was paralyzed. The tears kept on flowing out as well, not making him seem any less feminine. 'I... Need to run...!'. And so Ruka forced himself to run all the way to the Yanagibayashi Shrine without looking back once.

"Nekaha-san", Kurisu started to converse with Nekaha, after explaining the situation with the professors. Obviously the professor wanted a tester so badly. "Yeh", Nekaha uttered while still looking forward, probably trying not to walk into something. "Would you like to test the Amadeus system?", Kurisu asked with pretty high hopes. 'Nekaha is a reasonable person. She'll definitely accept', Kurisu kept chanting to herself as she carefully observed Nekaha's facial expression for any hint to how she would answer. To Kurisu's luck, Nekaha didn't answer as Kurisu wanted to hear. "Nah, not really", Nekaha stated with a grin, her green orbs piercing into Kurisu's blue ones, showing her determination. "I don't really want to test an AI", Nekaha explained her reasoning and looked to the front again. "I understand. It's a pity", Kurisu said and frowned. 'How would the professor react? I hope he isn't too mad', Kurisu thought to herself as she slowly made her way up the stairs into the lab. Just as Kurisu turned the door knob, a familiar voice started speaking. Kurisu had managed to avoid, making any noise so that they could eavesdrop on what Daru was about to say. "Y'know, there're other ways to reject a shemale. Instead of stating that he is indeed a dude, you could've just said you had no interest. Though that does make it boring". Kurisu was disgusted at Daru's words, but she tried to contain herself. "I really was hoping for some pickle on pickle action, if you know what I mean", Daru stated and everyone could practically hear the perverted smirk Daru was giving right now. That ticked Kurisu so off that she stormed into the lab while pointing at Daru and screaming "pervert!". Okarin wasn't expecting Kurisu to come back so soon and backed away in shock. When Okarin realized it was 'just' his 'useless assistant', he calmed down a bit. "What are you doing here, Christina", Okarin asked with a grin and crossed his arms. "Hmph...", Kurisu uttered while she tried to figure out how to explain her position. According to Nekaha, Kurisu and the other Okarin were going to work together with her on the microwave oven all day. Yet here they were. "We are done. We came to talk about what we are going to do now", Kurisu explained and walked over to the couch past Mayuri. At first, Kurisu didn't notice the weird look Mayuri was giving, but once she sat down, she could see it clearly: Mayuri was suppressing tears. Just as Kurisu was about to stand up and walk over to the poor girl, Nekaha and Okarin entered the lab, causing Mayuri to wipe the tears away and smile once again. "Tutturu~", she greeted the girl. "Mayushii-chan", Nekaha basically yelled, as she ran over to girl, getting an awkward glance not only from Kurisu, but also from Okarin and Daru. Then Nekaha wrapped her arms Mayuri and smiled gently. "What did that pervert do to you?", Nekaha asked innocently, implying that Mayuri had been crying because of Okarin. "What is that suppose to mean?!", Okarin yelled, clearly provoked. "It means that you're a pervert", Kurisu stated the obvious and frowned at Okarin. "Yes indeed, my useless assistant. You would know what a pervert is. For you are-". "Think about what you say, before saying it", Kurisu hissed, making Okarin shut up at the clear blackmail the woman was giving him. "It's nothing", Mayuri explained, but didn't seem to be finished just with that. "I just feel sorry for Ruka-chan". Now all eyes were on Okarin. "What did you do to him, you pervert?!", Kurisu yelled and jumped from the couch to stand right in front of Okarin. Everyone else was quiet while Kurisu and Okarin stared at each other. That didn't last long though, because after a while, Okarin backed away, averting his gaze to the floor in the process. "Rukako had just come by and...". From what Daru had said before, Kurisu didn't need any further explanation. Kurisu knew what Ruka had wanted to say to him. She still couldn't believe it. Even though Okarin had turned Ruka down, she still felt a tinge of jealousy. Before Kurisu could even think of a response, Nekaha burst out laughing. "Really... You turned... Her down... Precious", Nekaha managed to uttered between laughs and literally was crying of laughter. "Now that was uncalled for", Daru stated and adjusted his glasses. Only Nekaha hadn't caught onto the not so obvious. "You got it all wrong", Okarin said with an evil smile. "Rukako may have the looks and mannerisms of a girl, but he is a dude", Okarin explained, leaving Nekaha speechless. "Disregarding that. What did you say to Urushibara-kun?", Kurisu asked Okarin with a threatening face. That was the moment Okarin realized that he was done for. "I said: but you're a dude". Seconds later a book came smashing onto Okarin's head, causing him to stagger backwards and fall to the floor. "Okarin!", Mayuri yelled as she ran to Okarin's side. "Ah-... Huh...", Okarin uttered while grabbing his head in pain. "What the hell, woman!", he then screamed, maybe a bit too loud, as shouting at that volume made his head hurt even more. "You deserved that. Can you even be any more of a schmuck", Kurisu hissed and narrowed her eyes at Okarin. "Now stop it with the violence, crazy scientist", Nekaha uttered whilst taking the book out of Kurisu's hand, "Violence is not always the best option". Okarin seemed to relax a bit at the sight of Kurisu not holding any weapon to hit him with. "Exactly that's what I thought. Listen to that useless scientist", Okarin stated while he got something cold to put on his head from Mayuri, getting a sadistic expression from Nekaha. "Excuse me?", she asked in a low voice and gave a slight evil smile as a warning. But Okarin didn't have the guts to open his mouth and explain, so he remained silent. "You know what. Here, have the book. Make sure to leave a scar", Nekaha said while handing over the book to Kurisu. "On your knees!", Kurisu yelled and pointed with the book to the floor. Of course Okarin obeyed, not having a death wish. "Anyway. It's nice to have you here, Nekami-chan. Do you want to try some of my cosplay on?", Mayuri asked Nekaha and grabbed her hands while smiling. It seemed like now Okarin and Kurisu were being totally ignored which Okarin found barbaric. Instead, the other Okarin just sat on the couch with enthusiasm, waiting for Nekaha to step out of the restroom in Mayuri's cosplay. "But isn't Nekaha-san a bit taller than average?", Daru thought out loud, getting a half-assed 'hmph...' out of the Okarin dressed in black. "Perhaps. Though I don't think that will be a problem", he explained while closing his eyes in thought. But Okarin was wrong. As soon as Nekaha stepped out of the room, Daru and Okarin were holding back a nose bleed. The pink dress barely covered Nekaha's underwear. And it seemed as if Nekaha was fully aware of that. To avoid the gazing of specific men, Nekaha deliberately didn't try and pull the dress lower, but rather just accepted it. "W-wow...", was all Daru could say while holding his nose. The Okarin in a lab coat noticed that something was going on, but wasn't allowed to look away from the floor. "You look amazing~!", Mayuri squealed as she walked around Nekaha to look at the dress from everywhere. This was the moment, when Nekaha was glad that she didn't have a big butt. "I think it... It looks amazing on me", Nekaha stated while glancing at Daru, slighty flushed. Then, something crossed her mind. Nekaha gave a sly grin, as she made her way to the lab coated Okarin. After that, Nekaha sat down next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder, but keeping her mouth close to Okarin's ear. "You know, today Kurisu is...", was all the rest of the lab members could hear, before Nekaha began whispering in Okarin's ear. Suddenly Okarin began blushing and quickly glanced at Kurisu, just to get even more red and stare at the floor. "What did you do?!", Kurisu yelled. "Ahh, nothing really. Just remembered some information that I think Hououin-san should know", Nekaha explained and then turned to Okarin with an evil grin. "By the way, where is Hououin Kyoma. Wouldn't the mad scientist use that information for... Evil and chaos", she mocked the man. "What information", now Kurisu yelled a bit whiter and had slightly red cheeks. "Let me think... About six hours ago".

"Eh? Nekaha, what are you doing?!", Kurisu practically yelled as she turned her naked body away from the girl. "Oh, was just going to take a shower. But Miss tsundere queen has been using the shower for a while now", Nekaha explained in the showering room, still fully clothed. Kurisu seemed to notice just exactly that and turned her head towards the girl. "Then why are you still in your clothes?", Kurisu asked, suspicious. "Oh that. I was first checking. I do have my honor", Nekaha stated and gave an innocent smile. Then that smile suddenly evolved into an evil grin. "Though you certainly are throwing it away as if there's no tomorrow", Nekaha said and looked over to the pile of clothes at the entrance, on the top lying a pair of white panties with a little cartoon cat printed on it, "How old are you? Five?". Directly after that Kurisu blushed and yelled, "GET OUT!".

"W-what...?", Kurisu uttered in a state of confusion while the event replayed in her head. She didn't know Nekaha was such a pervert, so when Kurisu realized that Nekaha had just plainly told Okarin, she yelled the first word that came to mind. "YOU PERVERT!!!", Kurisu screamed with all her might, while her face turned crimson in the process. Of embarrassment and anger. Okarin couldn't help but laugh at Kurisu's reaction and genuinely smiled, though his face was also tainted in a slight pink. "Aw, you tsunderes are such party poopers", Nekaha spat and stood up from the floor, walking away from Okarin and Kurisu towards the round (square) table. "So I have figured out how we can build the time machine", Nekaha stated, completely baffling the lab coated Okarin. "But it will take a long time, before we finished building it" Nekaha explain dramatically and held her hand in front of her chest. Then, Kurisu being the closest to the couch, the Okarin dressed in black who sat on the couch, heard a vibration, probably being a phone vibration. Disregarding it as maybe just being Mayuri's phone or something, Kurisu looked back to Nekaha who seemed to be on the verge of tears. 'That girl's a really good actor', Kurisu thought to herself, impressed. "Maybe we should ask for some funding from the University", the Okarin dressed in black suggested. "Isn't that a bit dangerous", Kurisu said and glanced over to the lab coated Okarin who didn't seem to panic at all. "You're right, but do we have any other choice", Okarin sighed while Nekaha nodded in thought. "Perhaps, we could ask to keep the plan in secrecy for now", the lab coated Okarin stated and got up from the floor, earning a threatening glare from Kurisu. "Then we'll do that", Nekaha half yellef, determined. "Mayushii isn't following", Mayuri said, clearly sad that she couldn't keep up. Shortly after, Daru tuned in. "What? I wasn't paying attention". "Too bad so sad", Nekaha stated as she stepped toward the exit of the lab. "Let's go now, while the professors still are at the uni". "Shouldn't you change, Nekami-chan", Mayuri stopped the girl with a smile. "Oh right".


	6. Chapter 6

"Ugh...", Okarin uttered while clutching his head and trying to silence his vibrating phone. "Who's awake at this hour...!", Okarin hissed as he scrolled through the messages he just got send. "What the...". There were more than 50 messages all from Moeka from the last 10 minutes, all of them having her trademark phone personality. Shortly after that Okarin started smacking his fingers on the keyboard to reply to Moeka, so that she leaves him alone. But it didn't stop. Just after the message send, another message came in. And then another. "Ugh- Stop it!", Okarin whisper yelled, trying not to wake up the other Okarin up who was laying on a mattress on the floor, peacefully sleeping. "But it's important", Moeka suddenly replied, in real life, and scared the hell out of Okarin. "H-how did you get in here?!", Okarin started with yelling, but quickly quieted down. "Let's go talk outside. I don't want-", he started to explain, but got interrupted by a phone buzz. Without any hesitation, Okarin grabbed Moeka by the arm and dragged her out of the lab until both were standing in front of the CRT shop. "So what did you want", Okarin spat and crossed his arms, as it was too early in the morning to be acting, no, to be talking to people. Moeka was about to start typing into her phone, when Okarin stopped her and pulled her phone out of her hands, causing Moeka to scream. "Hey! Why are you slacking off! Do you not want to get paid?!", Mister Braun suddenly yelled at Moeka and caught Okarin off guard, allowing Moeka to swipe her phone out of Okarin's hand. "Guh-... Dammit!", Okarin uttered as he admitted defeat. 'That woman is too crazy to deal with', he thought to himself as he turned his body to the big man standing in the shadows of the already burning hot sun. "Mister Braun, what pleasure to meet you under these circumstances. Enlighten me. Why did you just-". Before Okarin could even Form his whole question, Mister Braun had already answered it. "You're not aware? For living over this shop you're pretty unaware. She's my new part timer". Okarin burst out in laughter, as he clutched his stomach. That joke was just too much for him. "You mean, you need a part timer for a shop that basically gets no customers", Okarin laughed while wiping a tear away and also getting a slight feeling of Deja Vu. "Got a problem with that?", Mister Braun asked, no rather challenged Okarin and cracked his knuckles with an evil smile. "N-no, sir", Okarin squealed and gave a nervous smile. "Tutturu~", now suddenly sounded from a few meters away from Okarin, where a rather small girl with a light blue dress and matching hat was standing. Her pitch black hair was reflecting none of the sun, but rather absorbing it, giving it a cool shine and a beautiful match to the girl's blueish green eyes. None other than Mayuri stood there, at nine o'clock in the morning with a grocery bag at hand. Okarin was confused in many ways. How could Moeka be a part timer? Why is Mayuri here already? Why does she have a grocery bag, even though the stores just opened a few minutes ago? And how has his life come to this? Okarin sighed and clutched his head. "Good day, Mayuri. What brings you here this fine day", Okarin greeted Mayuri and gave a sly grin. "Hououin Kyoma greets you!", Okarin yelled and did his typical pose. Mayuri genuinely smiled at that, warming everyone's heart and making Mister Braun choke down his comment about Okarin. Ruining the moment, suddenly Okarin's phone vibrated while he moaned at the rude gesture of Moeka. But the message wasn't from Moeka. "Ku... Risu?", Okarin said while holding his phone to his ear. There was no response. "Hello?". Okarin was surprised that Kurisu had even called him. But the fact that she wasn't answering, was more worrying than ever. So by turning the microwave counterclockwise, the electrons from nearby atoms get accelerated and eventually convert into negativ energy, creating a small black hole, just big enough to fit under 36 bytes of information through it. With this you can send your memories back in time for up to two weeks. Okarin couldn't believe what he was hearing. Kurisu was quietly talking to some person or people, though her voice was a bit dull. Why just two weeks? Wouldn't you be able to send the memories back further in time? "Who is that, Okarin?", Mayuri asked, since she had put her ear against the phone as well, listening into the conversation, because Okarin's face expression was so confused and shocked, that Mayuri had thought someone had died. "I don't know...", he uttered while he listened at Kurisu's reply. The current safe zone is 2 weeks. Maho-senpai found it out. Any further may be damaging to the mental health of the recipient. Now the same man from before talked again, just this time he sounded closer to the phone microphone. And what happens if used repeatedly? Okarin gasped at those words. The combination of those words in that context made Okarin really nervous and panicky. And from the sound of Kurisu's voice after that, Kurisu felt the same. W-we don't know... Okarin started having a bad feeling. And so did Mayuri. "What's going on?", Mayuri questioned and looked at Okarin with a scared expression. But Okarin didn't answer right away. He still wanted to hear what the man was going to answer. Understood. We will think about it and contact you soon. See you. And so there was a sound of footsteps, a sound of a door opening and the door closing. "What is this?", Okarin uttered and tried to figure out what Kurisu was doing, totally forgetting the surroundings he was in. That was a close call... There was a sound of something falling to the floor. I don't think it's appropriate to tell them about Okabe. Okarin held his breath. He knew he shouldn't have eavesdropped, but he couldn't tear his ear from the phone away. Mayuri was now talking to Moeka and seemed totally used to seeing Moeka with an 'I 3 CRT' apron. But Okarin couldn't concentrate on that. He was too focused on the words Kurisu was saying on the other end of the line. Okabe... When I say his name, it spreads this warm feeling in me... Okarin's face turned slightly pink. I wonder... If I could ever call him... Rintaro. Now Okarin couldn't hide his embarrassment. Rintaro... Okarin was starting to get uncomfortable. This is so much better. If he ever hears me say this, I'm sure I'll just lectured by him to call him 'Hououin Kyoma'. Now Kurisu's voice was annoyed and any sort of feeling she had expressed just a few seconds before, had vanished. But in a way... It's kind of cute. The way Kurisu said that sentence, made it obvious that she was blushing. And Okarin was the same. But I love Okabe Rintaro more. Not the mad scientist... Now Okarin felt insulted. Now was the point, when Okarin was questioning why he was still eavesdropping. Is this called stalking? Unsure, Okarin listened on to what Kurisu had to say. Okabe... Rintaro... I'm so happy, actually. Okarin heard those words, but could hear the misery in them. I'm so happy that Okabe is good now. Not switching world lines like a mad man... Even though he forgot... Sobbing started sounding through the other side of the phone. Okarin wanted to do something about crying Kurisu, but he knew he couldn't. It was a selfish reason, but if Okarin opened his mouth now, he would be in bigger trouble. A few seconds passed, before Kurisu seemed to have stopped crying. I wonder what he's doing right now. Kurisu had added a high pitched chuckle at the end of that sentence. The sudden mood swings the girl was having, worried Okarin a lot, but he would first do something, once he assessed the situation. Maybe he is sleeping... Now Okarin felt the heat rush to his cheeks again, realizing that Kurisu was thinking of him and talking about him to herself for now almost 2 minutes. Maybe he's texting someone... Okarin was debating whether he should continue to eavesdrop on Kurisu. The way the conversation to herself was going, it was not going to end well for Okarin. Maybe he is talking to Daru or Mayuri... Confused, Okarin tried to figure out why Kurisu is listing the things Okarin could be doing now. Maybe he is eating a banana... Okarin isn't the most fond person of bananas, so he finds it weird that Kurisu's thinks that. Or maybe... The way Kurisu was saying that, scared Okarin and made him so nervous that all the air in his lungs got pressed out of it. He is taking a bath... Okarin started violently blushing at what Kurisu had just said. 'And then she calls me a pervert', Okarin thought to himself , still blushing and was about to hang up the phone, when Kurisu added another sentence. I wonder... if we could ever take a bath together... Now Okabe couldn't keep it in. "KURISU!!!", Okabe yelled, dropped his phone and covered his now in crimson stained face with his hands. Seconds after that, very high pitched noises sounded out of the phone that were probably Kurisu's screams of embarrassment. The onlookers of this scene were more confused than they ever were in their entire life. There were squeals coming out of the phone, before Kurisu hung up, making a beep sound from the phone. Mayuri, seeing this, straight went over to Okarin and touched his red face. "O-oh, Okarin. You're burning hot!", Mayuri exclaimed and tried to figure out what had just happened. But Okarin couldn't answer. The only thing that was going through his head right now, is what Kurisu had said. And with the perverted mind of his, Okarin couldn't even stop himself from imagining how a bath with Kurisu would be.

"What was that all about", Nekaha said with an evil grin, as she stood at the entrance of the laboratory, in which Kurisu sat against the wall. Her phone was on the other side of the room and Kurisu was redder than a tomato. "N-nothing", Kurisu hissed, obviously upset. And Nekaha was going to use exactly that to her benefit. "Oh really?", she stated and lifter her brows. "So you fantasizing about having a bath with Okabe-san was nothing?". At that moment, Kurisu jumped up from the floor and threw herself onto Nekaha, toppling her over with a loud and painful sounding thump. "What the heck, woman! Are you crazy?!", Nekaha screamed and attempted to push Kurisu off of her. But in vain. "YOU WON'T TELL ANYONE!!!", Kurisu screamed back, her anger overwhelming Nekaha. But Nekaha kept a cool head and just gave a childish grin. "And what about Okabe-san?". From the look on Kurisu's face, Nekaha was sure she was going to get punched. But she didn't. Kurisu just looked away, embarrassed, and got off of Nekaha. "Tsundere for the win", Nekaha mocked, but did not continue, as what Kurisu did next, baffled her completely. She broke down an began to cry. "H-hey. Don't cry", Nekaha exclaimed and sat right next to Kurisu. "What have I done...", she sobbed and laid her head on her knees that she pulled up to her chest. "Nothing wrong. You basically just pledged your loyalty to Okabe-san. Though I really didn't think anyone could love that nut". Kurisu stated daggers at Nekaha. "I'm getting off topic here", Nekaha added. "The point is that now Okabe will think I'm a pervert...", Kurisu continued to sob. "He won't. He's probably too focused on not imagining himself how it would be like", Nekaha attempted to joke, but, again, got a death stare from Kurisu. But Kurisu understood what Nekaha meant. She was a proud woman and that pervert named Okabe will be thinking about that too. She has no need to be embarrassed. Or that's what she told herself. "So how did it go with the professors? Will we get out funding?", Nekaha asked the red haired girl next to her, who had stopped crying and slightly smiled. That smile vanished instantly. "I don't know. They said they would think about it, which isn't a good sign", Kurisu explained and sighed. "Oh well. Worst case we can always kill the second Okabe-san", Nekaha joked again, but this time got a reaction out of Kurisu. Laughter. Genuine laughter. "Thank you, Nekaha-san", Kurisu thanked the girl and smiled at her. "Any time", Nekaha said and playfully punched Kurisu in the arm, "I'm going to get going, now. Just wanted to check up". "Bye", Kurisu said her farewell and waved her arms, as Nekaha made her way to the exit of the laboratory. "Bye bye!".


	7. Chapter 7

"Okarin?", Mayuri questioned as she examined Okarin with care. "Uhhhhh!", he uttered and heaved a sigh, before removing his hands from his face, revealing a pinkish tint. He had calmed down quite a lot, yet his face was still stained with blush. "What... Happened", Moeka asked Mayuri and looked from the girl to Okarin repeatedly. She seemed as confused as Mayuri. Okarin uttered another sigh and fleetingly made eye contact with Mayuri. "Just the useless assistant being useless...!", Okarin tried to make it sound like a complaint, but as he spoke those words, his cheeks got redder and he glanced to the floor. "I don't, quite understand...", Moeka practically whispered with her low monotone voice, as she stepped closer to Okarin. "Nevertheless. For what reason did you come here, Shining Fingers", Okarin ignored Moeka's statement and coughed a little to signal his deliberate sudden theme change. "She's a part timer here, Okarin. Didn't you know?", Mayuri asked her lab coated friend with an astonished expression. "Perhaps the organization is behind this", Okarin muttered and yawned, his sleepiness returning, after his adrenaline rush ran out. "What is he talking about?", Mister Braun asked Mayuri with a confused, yet still a bit offended expression. But Mayuri never managed to answer. "I am not just a he. I am mad scientist, HOUOUIN-!". "I'll raise your rent". And before long, Okarin silenced himself and accepted the choice of Steins;Gate: that he had to be silent. "I... Need to talk to, you", Moeka uttered, not averting her gaze off the floor. Just about as Okarin was going to question what was going on with his lab member, Moeka added something. Something worrying. "In private".

"Ohh, Okarin. You're already awake!", Mayuri uttered in a state of surprise. "Yeah, I woke up when somebody suddenly yelled", the Okarin dressed in black laughed and got seated on the green couch. The flashback of the other Okarin suddenly screaming 'Kurisu', which was already weird in itself, and behaving weird afterwards went through Mayuri's head and caused her to worry just a bit. What had happened between Okarin and Kurisu? Were they alright? Though Mayuri didn't feel any hostility from Okarin, so she just hoped that everything was fine. "Did something happen?", Okarin asked while looking Mayuri directly in the eyes. "I don't know", Mayuri confessed, as she stood at the window and gazed onto the street, to where Moeka and the other Okarin were going. Mayuri just had this a bit uneasy feeling about Moeka, though she couldn't understand why. "Chris-chan called Okarin, but wasn't talking to Okarin, but to someone else", Mayuri explained as good as she could, before sighing and turning away from the window. "Hmm...", Okarin uttered whilst holding his chin in thought. Then suddenly something came to mind. Mayuri had heard Kurisu somehow screaming at Okarin, after he had yelled. "Chris-chan yelled at Okarin", Mayuri added and gazed out the window again, just this time at the sky. "Perhaps they fought", Okarin suspected and put his hand on his forehead, "I wonder what I did this time". "I don't think Okarin and Chris-chan fought. I think they just got closer", Mayuri said and smiled at Okarin. That smile was that of an angel. An angel that could even warm the hearts of the coldest people. At that moment suddenly Okarin's phone buzzed, before Okarin got it out and read the message. "From who was it?", Mayuri asked him and walked toward him. Okarin just smiled and answered, "It's from Kurisu about the progress on the time machine". "Oooh", Mayuri uttered and squealed of joy, "So is it finished?!". Sadly and obviously, Okarin shook his head and sighed. "Aww. What a pity", Mayuri whined, while suddenly the door burst open. "What's up", Nekaha stated and greeted Mayuri and Okarin with a playful smile. Behind her followed Daru. "Tutturu~", Mayuri greeted back and stood up from the couch. "What are you doing here so early?", Okarin asked the two enquiringly. "We were going to stop by, before leaving to Akiba", Daru explained, getting a squeal from Mayuri. Straight after that, Mayuri rushed over to Nekaha to hold her hands and couldn't even hide a smile. "Is it a date?!", she asked with a certain glow in her eyes. "Eh?", was all Nekaha could utter, as her face burned up. Since Nekaha was unable to answer, Daru answered for her. "Nah, it's just to get some parts for the time machine that will be a bit hard to get in the future", Daru explained and nervously scratched his head a bit. "Yeah, exactly that", Nekaha said after coughing her embarrassment off and ridding the pink on her face. "Not that I would mind", Daru added and smirked, causing Mayuri to look at Daru weirdly. "But aren't you dating Yuki-chan?", Mayuri questioned with a confused face. "Then why did you ask if Nekaha-shi and I were going on a date?", Daru asked, legit confused. "Oh... Right", Mayuri nervously laughed and smiled at her friend standing in front of her. Somehow snapping out of trance, Nekaha stepped back and seemed to be fully aware of her surroundings again. "Shouldn't we get going?", she asked Daru, getting a nod, and as soon as the pair had entered the lab, they left it as well.

"Well that wasn't awkward at all...", Kurisu sighed and checked, again, if maybe Okarin was spying on her, again too. Kurisu wasn't so certain about the professors agreeing to fund their time machine, so she tried thinking of any other solution. "In this world line there's no Suzuha and Okabe lost his memories. There's nobody who knows a lot about time travel", Kurisu stated the obvious and kept on thinking aloud. "If we can't ask anybody about time machines, we're doomed to fail". Then, suddenly Kurisu noticed something. Nobody knew a whole lot about time machines, but something knew. "Amadeus...", Kurisu uttered and jumped from the floor. Luckily, before Okabe's memories were erased, in general before Okabe switched world lines back to the Steins;Gate world line, Kurisu had made sure to back up Okabe's memories. Now Kurisu was more glad than ever that she saved Okabe's memories. Before she knew it, Amadeus was already running under Okabe's memories, and shortly after that an astonished voice started to speak. "What the... Christina?", Amadeus Okabe muttered, his face pale. Even though that Amadeus Okabe had no memories of what had happened to Kurisu more than half an hour ago, Kurisu couldn't help but blush. "Okabe, calm down", Kurisu started to explain, before Okabe started moving around and figuring out what the heck was happening. "What is this?", he asked, genuinely confused. "Remember when we loaded your memories to the Amadeus system", Kurisu questioned Okabe with a slightly nervous smile. "Yeah, like yesterday...". That's when he realized: he was an AI right now. "Don't worry, the original you is still alright, just... Well", Kurisu explained, but then didn't know how to continue. "I'm all ears", Amadeus Okabe said with a smirk. Kurisu sighed and held her head in frustration. "Your Reading Steiner overloaded, from what I heard", she spoke while awaiting Okabe's reaction. "Again?! I thought you fixed it?!", Okabe exclaimed. "It didn't work. Anyways. We had to erase his memories so that his Reading Steiner overload gets neutralized". "So that's why you came to me", Amadeus Okabe concluded and held his chin in thought, trying to figure out why Kurisu would need his old memories. A minute of silence passed, when suddenly Okabe's face lit up. "Ahh, I get it. My assistant came to me because she misses Hououin Kyoma!", Amadeus Okabe proudly stated and grinned. "Some things just never change", Kurisu uttered and slapped her hand onto her forehead. "Then why did you come, Celeb Sev-". "I'm not seventeen!", Kurisu spat, not noticing how she had gotten out of her chair to yell at Okabe. "And how so. Not like I could know. I was offline for the past year", Amadeus Okabe said, cross armed. "So I get it now. You're just jealous!", Kurisu stated and gave an evil smile. "Wha-... No!", Okabe yelled, a bit too suspicious, "A mad scientist doesn't get jealous". Kurisu couldn't help but sigh. Yet, she felt so at home, even with the AI. Kurisu Was yet again impressed at how good the AI works. "Do you know how to build a time machine?", Kurisu suddenly asked out of the blue, completely baffling Amadeus.

"What happened and... You really live here?", Okabe asked whilst entering Moeka's small and shabby looking apartment. The walls and floor looked washed out, while the room was empty, aside from one little black table and a bed roll in the corner of the room. Moeka nodded, before walking over to the table to pick up some paper from it. "People have been watching the lab", Moeka stated with her monotone voice, showing the paper to Okabe. On it you could see a woman in a biker suit and helmet that covers her face. Weirdly, Okabe felt scared when seeing this picture of the woman. "Do you know who she is?", Okabe asked and gulped loudly. Moeka shook her head. "Then why are you telling me this?". Moeka looked away from Okabe, when she said the following words. "When the other Okabe came, these people started spying on you", Moeka explained, causing Okarin's face to go pale. "So... There are people who noticed the presence of the second me...?", Okarin uttered in a hoarse voice, probably from shock. They were onto their progress with time machines. Moeka didn't nod, but didn't shake her head either. She just spoke, "They're interested in something in the lab". "Is there something we can do, perhaps?", Okarin asked, desperately trying to keep his friends safe. "Do you want me to, continue spying on them...", Moeka answered with a question. "Y-yes, of course", Okarin responded to Moeka, seeming to be a bit distant. Moeka gave a hint of a smile, before turning to Okarin. "That's all". And so Okarin left Moeka's small and a little creepy apartment.

"Wait, seriously?", Amadeus Okabe asked with a puzzled expression. He was left speechless by Kurisu's question, not sure how to feel. Kurisu gave a slight nod, before Okabe's face went pale yet again. "Are you crazy?! Do you want the world line to switch?! DON'T BUILD A TIME MACHINE!", Amadeus screamed with all his might, startling the red-haired girl so much that she even jumped out of her seat. Then Okabe coughed a little and felt slightly ashamed for his sudden outburst in front of Kurisu. It was clear that he still had some trauma from time leaping over and over again. After Kurisu had regained her composure, she sat back down and stared Amadeus Okabe in the eye. "We have to!", she didn't yell, but rather just said with dominance. "You can't! You don't understand what I will go through, trying to get to Steins;Gate again! And there will be no one to help!", Okabe exclaimed with a sour expression. "We won't change the world line, Okabe", Kurisu tried to reason again, just this time a bit calmer and more passiv, not to make Okabe even more upset than he is. "But you will, if you create the time machine! Remember SERN! Remember how Mister Braun and Moeka were Rounders! Remember how Moeka shit Mayuri mercilessly! Remember-". "No! I don't remember! Because that was on a different world line! This is the Steins;Gate world line! It's safe!", Kurisu yelled at Okabe, interrupting him and snapping him back to reality. Even though Okabe really didn't want his friends to meddle with time again, he stayed silent, since he wasn't going to apologize for speaking his mind and trying to avoid a world war or a dictatorship of SERN. "Listen", Kurisu now spoke in a rather calm tone, in comparison to her yelling a few seconds ago. "Another you from the Alpha attractor field somehow got here with a so called 'world line transference device', so he has to go back soon. And for this device we need to build a time machine", Kurisu explained and gave a slight smile. "We never intended on changing the past in any way", she added. Okabe still stayed silent. He seemed calmer than before, though his face wasn't really readable in this moment.. "Okabe...". "But only one world can exist simultaneously", Okabe sighed and grabbed his head. "What? But how is this possible, then?", Kurisu asked as confused as Okabe. "You said he came from the Alpha attractor field? That means there's a me missing. How is time not collapsing?", Okabe thought to himself while running his chin in thought. The information they had wasn't adding up. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. "Oh cra-". "Kurisu? Are you in there?", a voice sounded from the other side of the door, before it opened and a small figure stepped in. The second Amadeus Okabe caught sight of the girl, he burst out in laughter. "What-? Is that Okabe-san?!", the girl exclaimed and straight walked to the laptop, in front of which Kurisu sat and on which Amadeus Okabe was dying of laughter. "Maho-senpai, it-". "Do you miss Okabe-san so much that you talk to Amadeus instead of him?!", Maho asked with a low voice. "N-no! Why should I want to talk to that idiot!", Kurisu yelled while blushing violently. "Hey!", Amadeus Okabe uttered, now with crossed arms and an insulted expression. "Then why are you talking to Amadeus?", Maho asked, clearly loosing her patience, "You know Okabe-san in real life. On plus, this is the Okabe-san with his old memories: they're completely different people". "I know that, and they're not that different, but-". "Then why are you talking to it", Maho interrupted Kurisu with an upset tone. She just wanted what's best for Kurisu, and that's not to get hurt. Maho wasn't that oblivious of Kurisu's and Okabe's relationship. "Christina came here, because I have the memories, before they were erased by, I presume Suzuha. And I'm not an it!", Okabe explained with a tinge of sourness, of getting referred to as an it. "Oh", Maho uttered, before scratching her head in embarrassment. "Anyway. Why are you here?!", Kurisu yelled, as she stood up, clearly upset. "I know, I know. But I was somehow messaged from Okabe-san that people are spying on your little lab and on our university", Maho explained her aliby, as to why she was here at the university and not sick at home. "Who?", Amadeus Okabe asked now. "A woman in a biker suit and helmet was spotted by Kiryuu-san", Maho answered and crossed her arms, "My guess is that somebody knows about the microwave". Okabe straight seemed to have relaxed, but not completely. "Good, I thought SERN was onto you", he stated and metaphorically wiped the sweat off of his forehead. "What do you mean by that?", Maho asked bluntly. "I mean that it could've been Moeka who was in the biker suit, but obviously not", Okabe explained and sighed afterwards. "And by the way. Kurisu, while walking in the hallways, I bumped into professor Leskinen. And he said that our funding was accepted!", Maho screamed of joy, as her face shone in a new light. "Really? They'll fund our time machine?!", Kurisu exclaimed while standing up in disbelief. Amadeus couldn't stay silent anymore. "No wonder people are spying on the lab", suddenly sounded out of Kurisu's laptop, before the two girls turned to Amadeus Okabe who had a troubled expression and crossed arms. "What do you-". "I needn't spell it out", Okabe muttered. "We told him to not tell anyone", Maho explained, getting a disappointed stare from Okabe. "That won't stop him if he really uses it poorly", Kurisu stated exactly what Amadeus Okabe was thinking. "But it's the professor. I'm sure it'll be fine. We know him already for so long and he has done so much for us", Maho tried to reason, but only got a disinterested face from Okabe and Kurisu. "So to your question. For the time machine you just need to make the Kerr black hole bigger. But with the world line transference device you will probably need a divergence meter", Okabe explained but didn't sound very sure about his answer. Yet still, Kurisu and Maho had no idea what Okabe was babbling about.


	8. Chapter 8

"A Divergence meter?", Kurisu questioned and pronounced the word extra slowly. "It's a device that shows the current world line's 'Divergence' ", Amadeus Okabe explained in a serious tone. He seemed to have stopped goofing around a while ago. "And do you know how to build one", Kurisu asked and raised her eyebrows, expecting to be pleasantly surprised at Okabe knowing how to, but got let down, after hearing him sigh. "Of course I don't know", Amadeus answered and crossed his arms. Then Kurisu let her head hang and sighed as well, before grabbing the computer mouse and hovering over the end call button. "You really are useless", Kurisu uttered with a frown. "Wait! What are you-!". But before Amadeus Okabe could finish his sentence, Kuriisu had already cut the line. "That was a bit rude", Maho stated and turned away from the laptop. Kurisu just laughed at that. "He deserves it", Kurisu explained and couldn't help but smile. "Anyway. Do you have any idea how one could build a diverence meter?", Kurisu decided to ask Maho if she had a clue. But Maho just shook her head. "I am as clueless as you are", Maho confessed and sighed. "So even with the help of Amadeus, we didn't get any further than as we already are". Maho shook her head again. "Now we know what we need to build, correct?", Maho explained and smiled. While what Maho said was true, Kurisu couldn't help but feel like she forgot something. Something she wanted to ask Maho about. "Senpai, how do you know about us wanting to build a time machine?", Kurisu suddenly asked as a shadow covered her face. Maho's eyes widened, as she stared at Kurisu in a confused manner. "What do you mean", she questioned, clearly not hiding anything from Kurisu. She could tell that Maho wasn't lying. "Did Nekaha tell you about our plan too create a time machine?", Kurisu asked, just this time Maho understood what Kurisu was saying. "Oh, yes. She did", Maho answered and narrowed her eyes, "When she suddenly came here I had wondered who she was or why she was here with a microwave. But then she explained that she came because of you. And then she poured out all the details of your plan that you didn't even tell me", Maho had started the explanation rather normally, but at the end frowned. "Ahh, sorry Senpai. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to get you involved. Well now you are involved. So thank you", Kurisu said and gave a sweet smile. But before Kurisu turned around to leave and go back to the lab, she went close to Maho and whispered something in her ear. "And if Nekaha told you the whole story, then don't update your Amadeus Maho", Kurisu explained and left the room without further words, leaving Maho speechless. Now she was dying to know what that missing part of the story that Nekaha hadn't told her is.

"I wonder what Okarin is doing", Mayuri asked, not averting her gaze off the cosplay she was currently making. "He was with Kiryuu Moeka which is already sketchy itself", the Okarin of another world line didn't really answer her question. He couldn't anyway. "Why? I think Moeka-chan is nice", Mayuri whined and glanced at him with a sad face. Okarin couldn't help but smile at Mayuri's innocence. While both were sitting on the couch, Okarin getting his heart warmed and Mayuri sewing her cosplay clothes for her friends, the door suddenly yanked open and in stepped an out of breath Ruka. "Ruka-chan?!", Mayuri exclaimed, before dropping her cosplay and needle on the square table and hurrying to the panting boy. "What's wrong?", Okarin asked while standing up from the couch, seeming worried. "I-I...", Ruka started, before falling to the floor and staring at Okarin. "O-Okabe-san, you once said something about... Hashida-san's future wife, right?", Ruka questioned, but didn't even wait for an answer to continue. "You said it was Amane-san... And that that was definite, right?", he asked again, but this time waited for an greeting gesture. Okarin nodded, unsure what to do or if Ruka realized that that wasn't the original Okarin. "T-then why are Hashida-san and another girl on a date?". Mayuri was speechless. She was unsure whether to feel happy or be disappointed. "Who is Daru on a date with", Okarin asked and took a step closer to Ruka and Mayuri. Ruka gave a small cough, before breathing in and looking Okarin in the eye. "It was a rather tall brown haired girl. She wore a short black onesie", he explained, before getting shocked expressions from both Mayuri and Okarin. "It was Nekami~chan?!", Mayuri exclaimed and held her mouth in pure shock. "But that can't be", Okarin laughed and gave Ruka a small smile, "It must be a misunderstanding". Ruka sighed. "Maybe you're right", he agreed and slowly started to stand up. But little did anyone notice the fourth presence that was listening into their conversation. "What are you talking about, Rukako", suddenly sounded behind Mayuri and Ruka, startling them. Mayuri, because she didn't notice, and Ruka, because he was nervous about confronting Okarin. Thinking about it like that, it seemed pretty dumb to come to the lab in the first place, if he was attempting to avoid Okarin. "Okarin~!", Mayuri shrieked and jumped up to look at him, "How was it with Moeka-chan". Okarin went pale. "I-it was nothing, really", Okarin lied and forced a smile on his lips. He didn't want Mayuri to know and worry. He would possibly try to keep Mayuri out of it. It was a natural reflex. While Okarin managed to play off that everything was fine, Ruka did not such a good job. The way he awkwardly stayed sitting on the floor, his back towards the lab coated Okarin, made their meeting even more awkward. Even for Okarin himself. "Ahem...", suddenly sounded behind Okarin from a too familiar voice. "Assistant! What brings you to the far and sacred land of the Future Gadget laboratory", Okarin practically yelled and was so glad that somebody interfered in their awkward silence. The smile on Okarin's face was too bright that Kurisu felt awkward and blushed. Though that wasn't the only reason. "Ah-", Okarin uttered suddenly. He was so invested in what Moeka had said that he forgot the part before. The part in front of the shop. Immediately Okarin's face turned crimson with the memories of his eavesdrop. Kurisu reciprocated. How she had hoped that he forgot. "I-uhm, would you move out of the way...!", Kurisu uttered, trying to sound as she always did, however, couldn't help but stutter. "Yes, of course", Okarin said, managing to suppress his embarrassment way better, and stepped out of the way, rather to the wall so that Kurisu could slide through. Ruka was still blocking the way on the floor and Okarin found it inappropriate to step over the poor boy. 'Why not let Kurisu step over him', he thought. And she did exactly that. After taking a step closer to the boy, she lifted her leg semi high and actually managed to step over him. The problem came afterwards. While Kurisu tried to lift her other leg, she almost tripped and got caught last minute by Mayuri. "There there", she giggled and slowly helped Kurisu regain her balance, before bending down and pulling Ruka to his feet as well. As the two girls and Ruka stepped into the lab, one more embarrassed than the other, the Okarin in black silently watched, awkwardly standing in front of the green couch. Shortly after that Okarin moved away from the wall, also into the lab and directly got seated on the couch, now next to his other self. "So what brings you here, Rukako", Okarin asked, but wasn't really talking to Ruka, but to everyone else. Okarin, too, felt awkward around Ruka because of their last meeting, but of course couldn't show it. "Ruka-chan came here asking about Daru-kun and his relationship", Mayuri explained and beamed a smile at Okarin. Both Kurisu and Okarin wanted to ask why, but before they could, two other people entered the lab. "Man, it's so God forsaken hot outside, I felt like I was sublimating", Nekaha whined as she entered the lab with two full and white plastic bags full of parts. "Don't complain so much. You're not a fat man with no exercise", Daru panted, also carrying two white plastic bags. Though those seemed a lot fuller than Nekaha's. After that, Okarin and Kurisu straight understood what Ruka came to talk about. "Why are you looking at me like that?", Nekaha questioned, before she put the bags on the floor. "You're so cute together", Mayuri stated and smiled. "Hah?!".


	9. Chapter 9

"W-wait, what are you talking about?!", Nekaha was about to scream, but barely managed to keep her voice low. "Why are you blushing?", Okarin now asked in an almost mocking voice while attempting to hide a grin. Now Nekaha got even redder than she already was. "I-I-... I don't know what you're talking about", she now stated and crossed her arms, before turning her back to basically the rest of the lab, Daru being the only one to still see her face. It was still pink-ish. As Nekaha turned back awkwardly, and now with just a cringy face, the rest of the lab members, besides the lab coated Okarin and Kurisu, stared in utter confusion. "A-anyways!", Nekaha hissed and glared at Okarin. "What just happened...", Daru uttered, confusion lining his tone, not believing the reaction he just got out of Nekaha. "Mayushii couldn't follow either", Mayuri confessed and sighed, while Ruka just nodded, not looking away from the embarrassed Nekaha. "What a tsundere", Kurisu stated and gave Nekaha an innocent smile, before she glared at Kurisu. "Yeah, you would know", Nekaha remarked, a smirk across her face. Kurisu couldn't comment any further. "So why did you decide to return from your little rendezvous", Okarin questioned, still teasing Nekaha. "Seriously, would you drop it. It wasn't a rendezvous or anything in that direction. We were just going shopping for some parts to work on the time machine we need to build", Nekaha stated and glared at Okarin. "Since we're talking about that. I was at the university...", Kurisu started but suddenly turned away from Nekaha as her face turned red. "Right, I remember that clearly", Nekaha laughed and grinned at Kurisu, "Payback's a bitch!". But Kurisu wasn't the only one blushing. Okarin also seemed a bit flustered. "I talked to Amadeus... Okabe and he thinks we will need to build a Divergence meter", Kurisu explained after a forced cough. Suddenly all the attention was on Kurisu. "Amadeus Okarin?", Mayuri asked and looked at Kurisu intently who feared the worst. On her welcoming party Mayuri had asked Okarin if there was anything going on, because she obviously didn't remember about the AI. "It's the AI that operates on Okabe's old memories", Kurisu said, once again. While Ruka nodded, Mayuri wore a shocked expression. "So there are old Okarin's memories?!", she questioned with widened eyes. Kurisu nodded. Not knowing how to feel about that, Mayuri leaned back in the green couch and stared out the window, clearly deep in thought. "So you missed me so much you even talked to an AI just to be with me?", the lab coated Okarin said with raised eyebrows and a sly smile, getting exactly the reaction he wanted out of Kurisu. Instead of continuing to explain, Kurisu struggled to find her words and stuttered while blushing. "So I suppose this 'Divergence meter' shows the Divergence of the world lines", Nekaha stated, not really asking but thinking out loud. And yet again her intelligence baffled everyone. She was the same level as Kurisu. "What I am thinking is to install it into the time machine to detect the correct world line to send Okabe back", Kurisu explained, disregarding the comment Okarin had given off, and held her chin in thought. "But... Don't we have an obvious problem? We don't have a time machine yet, right?", Ruka asked, before looking around the lab. While most of the lab member's heads hung, the only person who was still thinking was Kurisu. "Aaaand back to square one", Daru commented the obvious and went over to his computer to sit down in front of it. "Yeah, how did the funding go", Nekaha sighed and picked up the plastic bags Daru had abandoned on the floor to bring them to the development room. Immediately Kurisu's face lit up. "They'll fund our time machine research!", Kurisu almost squealed with joy, wearing a smile. But while Kurisu and Nekaha seemed genuinely happy, someone else's face darkened. "About that...", Okarin started as his gaze shifted around the room, not being to look any of his lab members in the eye. "What's wrong, Okabe-... Kyoma-san", Ruka asked with a worried expression. Nekaha nodded as well. "What the heck happened. One moment you're all 'mad scientist-y', but now you're even pale", she stated and stared at Okarin with narrowed eyes. Kurisu stayed silent, knowing that Okarin was being serious right now. Whenever he wasn't acting all chunibyu, he was being serious. "I talked to Shining Fingers this morning. She says that an unknown group of people have been watching the lab", Okarin choked out whilst staring at the floor. Everybody could read off of his expression that he worried about the safety of his friends. After all, even when one looses their memories, their personality doesn't change. "Who is it? Is it SERN?", Daru questioned as he heard those terrifying words that he dreamed to never hear again. However, Kurisu shook her head. "It couldn't be SERN if Kiryuu told Okabe. She is SERN's Rounder after all", she explained and now also stared at the floor in thought. "I'm not exactly following, but from the sound of it, it's an organization that you have no expirience of?", Nekaha asked as she made her way from the development room to the make shift kitchen. Kurisu nodded and looked at Okarin with a worried expression. If they switched world lines, Okarin would have to go through the same hell as before. Just that the world would be at war or they'd get hunted down by SERN. And Okarin wouldn't get a message to get to Steins;Gate again. "Another thing. We will need more qualified people though, if we want to finish the device in reasonable time", Nekaha sighed as she made herself and the rest of the present lab members tea. "That's true again", Kurisu muttered and got up from the couch. After that she took of her khaki jacket and replaced it with her lab coat. "So somebody already found out about our microwave, even before I asked the professor for funding, correct?". "Certainly. Though Hiyajo-san knew before that. Maybe she told on us", Nekaha theorized and straight caught a glare from Kurisu. "Senpai wouldn't do such a thing. Though there is Amadeus...", Kurisu started and wrote a few things on the white board, shortly after getting accompanied by Nekaha. "Who is she?", suddenly sounded in Mayuri's right ear. The voice came from Ruka who had no idea who Nekaha was, since he never met her. Mayuri gave a small laugh, before turning towards Ruka and starting to explain. "Her name is Nekaha Miora. I call her Nekami-chan~ She was a friend of Okarin's and Chris-chan's... I think", Mayuri answered with a small smile on her. "Oh", Ruka uttered and couldn't help the surprise on his face. "That's why she's so smart". Mayuri now smiled brightly and nodded. Then, both Mayuri and Ruka were interrupted, when both Kurisu and Nekaha stated at the Okarin in black who was currently sitting next to Ruka. "So what do you think, Okabe-san. What should we do? It is your world line transference device after all", Nekaha asked the man with a serious face. "We could risk it and ask for help. After all, they already know about our microwave. Or, we try and build it ourselves. However, that will take longer", Kurisu explained and crossed her arms. Now all gazes, even Daru's who just paused his most probably hentai game, rested on Okarin. "I-I...", he stuttered, as he looked at his lap, not knowing where to look. For one split second, he locked eyes with Mayuri, before the other Okarin jumped in to his aid. "Don't put so much pressure on him. Give him time to decide", Okarin tried to reason. He too would take a while to make his choice. It was a risk it all or wait very long. And Okarin had heard of the butterfly effect, so he was sure nothing good would happen if the other Okarin stayed too long. "We don't have that much time", Kurisu argued and frowned. "Maybe those decisions are easier for a banana-loving genius girl, but for non curiosity driven people, it's a hard choice", Okarin argued back with ease, causing all stares to avert to the pair that were obviously starting an argument. And from everyone's experience, Okarin was bound to lose. Yet he still argued back. "I never said it's an easy choice. But Okabe should make his final decision fast. The sooner we start the better", Kurisu explained her reasoning and caught a glance of the Okarin in black looking at his phone, before the Okarin in a lab coat stood up and looked directly down to Kurisu. Though the height difference was very apparent, Kurisu didn't seem the least intimidated and just glared at the man. "Are you sure it's not just your-". "I may be only one year younger, but I surely am more mature and am therefore also more reasonable and responsible", Kurisu argued as Nekaha took a step back from the two, afraid their argument would escalate. "Says the @ channel troll", Okarin stated with a grin, as Kurisu's face turned red. "D-dont bring that up here", she whispered in a very awkward tone. "Embarrassed now, are we?", Okarin mocked. But before Kurisu could reply, the Okarin dressed in black had already said something. "We should ask for help to build the world line transference device", he finalized and thus cleared the argument Okarin and Kurisu had. Though both of them obviously enjoyed it in their own way. "Great. Be expected to get spied on", Nekaha said in a sarcastic tone and gave Okarin an innocent smile. It was crystal clear to Okarin that whatever he chose, he was going to get made fun of from Nekaha, so he just ignored it. "Now let's just hope this works and doesn't go south", Kurisu sighed as she cleaned the white board that hung on the wall. "So much for vacations...", Nekaha uttered while stretching and couldn't keep herself from glaring at Okarin. "FUHAHAHAHAHA!", the lab coated Okarin suddenly started laughing maniacally as he got out a Dr. Pepper put of the not so cool fridge next to the green couch. "Let's make operation Domicile a success!", he yelled with a satisfied smile, before cheering and gulping down half of his drink. "To us", Nekaha joined in and held her tea cup high, before downing all of it, followed just by cheers of the other lab members. "I'm not even going to comment", Kurisu sighed, before she smiled at Okarin who seemed cheerful again. But something suddenly started bugging Kurisu.

Why did the other Okarin have his phone? Why did he even need it?


	10. Chapter 10

_Time skip_

"Let us begin the 6014th Round Table Meeting!", Okarin exclaimed in a self-satisfied smile as he looked around the crowded lab. Almost all of his lab members were here, even Maho had become one this past month. While Nekaha, Moeka, Feyris and Ruka squished themselves on the bed, Kurisu and the Okarin from another world line sat on the floor in front of the squared table. Daru sat at his chair in front of the computer and Mayuri sat on Nekaha's lap, while Maho sat on Moeka's lap. It seemed even a bit absurd that so many people were in the lab. The only lab member who was absent was Yuki, as she missed the appearance of the other Okarin. Therefore, Okarin wanted to keep her out of it, especially since what they're planning to do isn't exactly safe. "Get a grip dude, for reals", Daru stated, as annoyed as a fat man could be in a burning hot late summer whilst sitting in a non air-conditioned room. "Mayushii doesn't think, we've had so many meetings yet". "Of course we have had so many-!", Okarin started but suddenly got interrupted by a cat maid girl with pink hair who stood up and did her cat pose. "The ancient Round Table Meetings were founded hundreds and hundreds of nyears ago, all of them having a certain importance, nya, in the course of history. From all of those, this, nya, is truly the 6014th", she explained to Mayuri with a mischievous smile, before she sat down again. Mayuri just stared at Feyris with an open mouth and seemed astonished. She seemed to be the only one that didn't understand that what Faris said was unreal. "Chunibyu", Nekaha then said in a quite voice and a mocking grin, evidently trying to hide it from Mayuri. Yet she wasn't shy of showing all the others her very upsetting grin that just radiated of sarcasm and lampooning. "We are getting sidetracked", Maho sighed, before letting her head drop in shame, and rubbed her temples. Kurisu also seemed to be doing the same thing, just she seemed upset. "If only that cognitive system hadn't broken", she hissed as she turned around to look into the development room and glanced right at the big Upa that was now retired, after Mayuri clumsily dropped it and it failed to work properly afterwards. The thing that had kept their Round Table meetings on topic. Especially in this mass, they got distracted much easier, so they mostly never got to the point. "What did you say, Kurisu?", Maho asked while her face scrunched up in confusion. She probably only heard a few words of the sentence, or maybe even misheard the words, so that she got the meaning totally wrong. "It's nothing, Senpai", Kurisu responded with a sweet smile, as she didn't want to be one of the causes of the distraction. Okarin and Feyris were already rambling on about some organization, while Mayuri, Ruka and Moeka were planning a party. The only silent people were Kurisu herself, Maho, the other Okarin and Daru, he only being quiet, because he was playing some H-12 games. "Moving on!", Okarin said in an overdone loud voice in an attempt to get all the attention, but failed epically. Now Maho and Nekaha were also caught up in the conversation about the party Mayuri had planned and probably just mistook Okarin's yells as unmeaningful. Though Daru evidently heard Okarin and sighed, before turning off his computer monitor, and just the monitor. "If I lose all my data, you're a dead man, Okarin", he muttered, but not loud enough. Kurisu gave a chuckle at that. Daru wasn't even giving Okarin a chance to make sure his data doesn't get lost. It was like he wanted that to happen. "Hey, I think Mister variety of improprieties is finally coming to a point", Nekaha informed the rest of the girls, and Ruka, sitting on the couch. Okarin clenched his teeth at that name she made up. Never before had Okarin been called names he didn't want to be called, besides of course his actual name. The only person who had done that was Kurisu, though for some reason she didn't do it. It was like she still thought there was an agreement between them. Perhaps it was Reading Steiner, though of course Okarin didn't know that. "Silence, Maria!", Okarin yelled at Nekaha, for the second time calling her Maria, even though she obviously hated it, which was clearly visible in the grim facial expression she had after that. The first time Nekaha totally lost it and even went to hit Okarin. His cheek still hurt from that. But Okarin didn't understand why he got hit. She laughed at the fact that he called Kurisu 'Christina', yet got 'high fived', when he called her a name. "There is a reason I called all of you in today. Last night, I saw a bright star shoot through the sky, and it told me that there are people planning on taking over our time machine research", Okarin started explaining, disregarding the burning glare he was getting from Nekaha. Honestly, Okarin was a bit scared of her. "I... Told you...", Moeka stated in her monotone voice, and even though her face stayed constantly expressionless. "Indeed, Shining Fingers", he said with a smirk. "So you think... I'm a big rock...?", she questioned, while now you could see her expression contort into sad frown. Mayuri's gaze shot up to Okarin in that second and gave him a disappointed face. "That's not very nice. Moeka-chan isn't just a rock", Mayuri whined as she awkwardly tried to hug Moeka. In the process, she ellbowed Nekaha and pushed Maho off of Moeka's lap, causing her to get pushed on Ruka, who was blushing more than the currently getting hugged Moeka, while Maho stayed clueless to the fact why he was blushing. She didn't know he was a boy, not a girl. "You surely act like a rock most of the time", Okarin muttered to himself, earning a firm nod from Daru, the only one who heard his statement. "But that's what I looove about her! I can't wait to see her beg for me to stop... Hah... Hah...", Daru squealed with a perverted smile, as he locked eyes with Kurisu, who somehow, connected his words to Moeka and glared. She was about to stand up and probably in somehow hit Daru - she got that from Nekaha - but before that could happen, Okarin stepped in. "Keep your perverted thoughts to yourself", he stated and crossed his arms, as if to dominate Daru, even though if they did have a fight, Daru would most definitely win. After that, he turned way from Daru and stared back to his lab members, mainly Mayuri who he actually wanted to keep out of this mess. "And we can't let that happen", Okarin continued his sentence from before, realizing that he indeed got sidetracked easily, as Kurisu had told him before the meeting. Maybe investing in repairing the cognitive system wouldn't have been such a bad idea. "And why can't we let that happen again? There are already people who know about it and rumors have been spreading on @ channel, so what's the use", Daru asked in a disinstered tone. In that same moment Okarin froze. He neither knew why they couldn't let everybody know. He got told that by Kurisu who evidently knew more of the situation. "Because if not we'll switch world lines", the Okarin dressed in black answered with ease, before Okarin could even think of an excuse. "Then what do nyou suggest?", Feyris asked Okarin with a confused gaze. The way Okarin answered made it seem as if he had a plan how to avoid the world line switch. And he did. Of course nobody besides Kurisu who sat right next to him saw how he took out his phone, which should be totally useless in this world line, before he he had answered Daru's question. That was another thing Kurisu added to the list of things she needed to talk to Okarin about. Though that might ruin their night, she'd rather talk about it sooner than later. And possibly before the part Mayuri was planning. The party for the Okarin from the Alpha attractor field's departure. "We deceive the world", he started to explain with a quote that made Kurisu's eyes flicker with curiosity. From what Okarin, the Okarin who hadn't lost his memories yet, told her, that was something the future him would say to him via video d-mail. To deceive the world and himself, in Makise Kurisu's 'death'. The fact that the Okarin knew that, even though he was in the Alpha Attractor field, surprised Kurisu quite a bit, but it was most probably just coincidence. Or perhaps even Deja Vu. "We will intentionally sabotage the experiment that is coming up tomorrow and label it a lost cause. That way, the time machine research will be canceled. But we can continue and finish it personally, since we're nearing the end, am I wrong?" he explained the seemingly fool proof plan. But there was one problem. While they had almost finished the time machine that somewhat resembles the one Kurisu had seen Suzuha come in, the obvious problem was that it was too big to transport into any space any of the lab members owned. It was absurd to think it would somehow fit into the lab, ignoring that fact that they somehow had to get it into. "And where shall we continue the time machine?", the other Okarin asked who seemed to have caught on to the issue, when mere seconds later, Feyris jumped up, once again, and started to maniacally laugh. "I, too, saw the shooting star last nyight, and it told me to seek a place, big enough to fit a two meter cubed clutz of scrap metal. Of course, nya, I immediately made my way to ask Kuroki, and-". "Just let me cut you off there", Kurisu suddenly interrupted Feyris's breathtaking speech that evidently wasn't so breathtaking to her. "It was impossible for you to know that", she stated with a very very upset frown and crossed arms, not believing even a little part of what Feyris had just said, totally spoiling her big moment. "Uwuu...", she suddenly uttered and sat down with tears in her eyes that were threatening to overflow. Though obviously, they were in an overexagerrated manner. "Kuroki told me yesterday that someone wanted to sell a big hall under the radio building, and I bought it. But it isn't in the blue prints of the construction", she plainly explained, before falling silent. First now had Kurisu realized how cold and rude she had been to Feyris and couldn't really find the source of her aggression towards her. Suddenly, she was overcome with guilt. Especially when she found out that Feyris had the intention of letting the use that hall for their time machine. The sudden cough of Okarin, and also probably purposeful, snapped the lab members out of their trance, before they all averted their gaze from Kurisu to Okarin. "I am sincerely grateful for your offer, Feyris, but sadly the lab cannot afford to rent a makeshift event hall", Okarin said and turned on his heels, until his back faced the development room, "We shall have to find another source of shelter for our time machine with our budget". The light in Mayuri's and Maho's eyes disappeared in the same second Okarin spoke those words while Ruka and Nekaha just sighed simultaneously. "You're so stingy, Okarin", whined Daru who evidently lost all his interest in this meeting, while turning back to his computer and continuing his game, just this time being one hundred percent focused on it. If only he would take the construction of the time machine as seriously as he did with his hentai games. "Nyahaha, of course I will grant nyou that wish for free. It is for the purpose of world peace, nya?", Feyris questioned, back with her chunibyu personality that everyone loved, or not. After that, Okarin's expression contorted into an astonished one, as his mouth hung wide open. Was Feyris really going to let them use the room for their time machine, for free? That went to show how much money she had to spare, if she could afford that. "I must thank you, Master Feyris", Okarin suddenly overdramatically chanted, before falling to the ground and bowing in front of Feyris whose cheeks turned a slight pink. "Would nyou stop, you're making Feyris embarrassed", she chuckled while covering her mouth that was clearly forming a smile. You could literally feel the affection she had toward him, and that made more than Mayuri happy. It also caused Kurisu to crack a smile, even though she was so unwilling to. But all of that joy in Kurisu disappeared the next second, when the other Okarin started to mention the second problem. "If we follow that strategy, we would have to negate your theory, Makise", he admitted with a worried expression, proving that he knew exactly what problems she was currently having. As much as she tried to hide it, Kurisu knew how much her father despised her. He tried to steal her time travel theory and even mercilessly attempted murder, which succeeded in some world lines, but thankfully not in this one. But in this case, the phrase 'it's the thought that counts' applies. Her own father stabbed an innocent man, and then fled the scene. And when Kurisu attempted to make contact with him, he didn't even feel an ounce of remorse. These past years Kurisu had tried to mend the broken relationship with her dad, to no avail. Her father was too thick skulled to understand that she was trying to apologize. And trying to bond with him via a shared time travel theory, that he obviously took very seriously, obviously was the wrong way. So that scene played over and over in Kurisu's head, until she knew every detail of it, yet still couldn't find out what went wrong. "Chris-chan?", suddenly sounded, as Kurisu was snapped out of her thoughts. All eyes were on her, as she evidently was suppose to make the final decision: if they would follow the plan. Of course, it was much more important to get the other Okarin away from the Steins;Gate world line to avoid any world line changes, yet by doing so, she would be once again publicly insulting her father's intelligence, by opposing his time travel theory. Which was the right decision? "We'll follow your plan, Okabe", Kurisu answered, a shadow covering her face as she said those words. It was most obvious that she was upset, yet most of the lab members did not understand for what reason. The only ones who seemed to understand were the Okarin from another world line and, strangely, Feyris. "We can find another way", Okarin suddenly blurted out and ended the painfully long silence. He saw that whatever the plan was compromised of, it would upset Kurisu which he didn't want. But shortly after, everyone stated at Okarin with wide eyes, at what he had just said. "I mean, I wouldn't want my assistant to be in a sour mood whilst making the time machine. That would be a hindrance!", he corrected himself, before his cheeks burned up into a light pink. Even though he managed to avert most of the gazes, he still got a grin from Nekaha and Daru, who were both thinking the same thing that mustn't even be said to be understood. "Thank you, but it's alright", Kurisu said with a soft smile to Okarin. After that her smile disappeared and was replaced by her typical frown. "We'll follow the plan. Hereby I end this (Round Table) meeting. We will get in touch, when needed", she announced, as everybody's faces lit up. The idea of leaving the sauna of a lab was just to attractive to not feel happy, when given the opportunity to leave. "So, nya. Will we go to the Cafe to discuss our part plans, nya?", Feyris asked Mayuri and Ruka who were organizing the part that was to happen in a few days. "Of course~!", Mayuri answered while leaving the lab with Feyris and Ruka, even though he didn't seem very motivated or comfortable going to May Queen's. He always got stared at there. "I'm coming I'm coming, my Feyris-Chan!", Daru squealed and immediately ran after the two girls and Ruka, knowing he would get a discount when it's this hot, as he always did. "Okabe-san... I'm leaving too...", suddenly sounded before Okarin, evidently coming from timid Moeka. And without further hesitation, she just left the lab, not even giving him a chance to stop her. It's not like that would've worked. Now the only ones in the room were both Okarins, Kurisu, Maho and Nekaha who just silently looked at eachother for a while. And that when Okarin remembered. Already before had he noticed how Kurisu was acting strange from time to time. She was very moody and extra stubborn which had cause a lot more actually aggressive fights, not just bickering, between Okarin and her than usual. Exactly that worried him. Of course it could only be because of the stress of working on the time machine - it already completely baffled Okarin that they made so much progress, almost finished it, in just a month - but he just wanted to be sure. Even though that would probably spoil their night. So, to Kurisu completely out of the blue, Okarin walked over to Kurisu, grabbed her by the wrist and attempted to pull her out of the lab to talk personally. "What are you doing? L-let go of me!", she uttered a hoarse yell while struggling against Okarin's grip. However, in the end Okarin was just to strong and literally dragged the poor panicked girl out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Suddenly, the lab was silent again. "What was that about?", Maho questioned, contemplating whether to worry about Kurisu or not. "No clue, but after this part, is when she finally drops the tsundere act and gives Hououin-san the permission", Nekaha chuckled with a sly smirk, as she kept on listening to the desperate yells of Kurisu that slowly got more distant and quiet. While Maho didn't understand what she said, the other Okarin heaved a loud sigh. "You're as bad as Daru, Marianne", he muttered. By the time Okarin finally realized what he had said, he already caught the astonished face from Nekaha that showed a glint of pure discomfort. "H-how... Do you know?".


	11. Chapter 11

"You needn't drag me out!", Kurisu yelled as she pulled her arm out of Okarin's grasp. This was one of the exceptional times, when he was actually serious, and Kurisu knew how socially inept Okarin was. He couldn't just go out of his way and ask nicely. But Okarin didn't respond. Instead he kept walking up the stairs to the roof, silently. So Kurisu decided to follow, also silent as she couldn't think of any words to say that wouldn't be awkward. The door yanked open with a screech, as Okarin held it open so Kurisu could pass. She just smiled instead of saying anything and walked past him, until she reached the railing. "So what did you want to talk about?", Kurisu finally asked after a rather long minute, in which both she and Okarin just stared at the blue sky. While Kurisu continued to look ahead, she could see out of the corner of her eyes that Okarin turned towards her, his expression remaining. "Tell me, what happened before I lost my memories?", Okarin asked, causing Kurisu to tense up. There were multiple reasons why Kurisu hadn't told Okarin. One of them, was because he simply didn't need to know and explaining that would be pretty confusing. But the other reason was more serious, and came later, when it was established that the gadget from the future did not completely erase his memories. Kurisu was scared that he might remember and drift down the same alley from one and a half years ago. Even if his memories were erased, his Reading Steiner ability still stayed, probably. "Will you believe me, if I tell you?", Kurisu questioned. Okarin gave a small nod. Then, Kurisu sighed. "But I must warn that I will not tell the story one to one. Amane told me the whole story a while ago, and she also didn't exactly know", she explained while turning to Okarin and crossing her arms. That had become a habit of hers over the course of years she had spent at the lab. Being in company of Okarin, Daru and everyone else had changed her, even if just a bit. "I'm all ears", Okarin uttered and cracked a smile at Kurisu's behavior. That science loving genius girl! After that, Kurisu told the whole story.

Silence still filled the room. "Hiyajo-san, would you mind...?", Nekaha bid, a shadow covering her face as she stared at her lap. Maho gave a small nod, before glancing over to the Okarin from another world line, who's expression was unreadable, and left the lab. "You're kepping something from us, something vital, aren't you", Nekaha then spoke, still not looking Okarin in the eye. She could hear the slightest shifting of Okarin's body, which just enforced her theory. He may be trained to not show any signs of nervousness when confronted, but she was sure that that was only for the inattentive. Nekaha could tell that he was internally panicking. "Tell me, why were you obligated to work with SERN? You and Hashida-san theoretically have to build the time machine, so wouldn't SERN just let you go, because of Convergence?", she asked and clenched her fist. From the second she saw him, she knew he was fishy. Over the past month, she was just watching him, trying to find any clear hints about his motives. Now, Nekaha was sure that he was lying about half of his story, yet she wasn't able to confront anybody about it. They'd label her paranoid, or overanalytic again. Even the slightest irregular breath was proof enough to Nekaha that she was right. She didn't even wait for the answer. "And mostly, how do you know my real name? I'd never tell anybody". During those words, Nekaha looked towards Okarin, to see him visibly tense and sweating excessively. The pieces of the puzzle were slowly forming the big picture. Things, that were unclear before, suddenly made sense with a blink of an eye. Okarin stood up, Nekaha following. If he were to run, she'd have to follow him, so she couldn't allow a very large adavantage. But what happened after that, even shocked Nekaha.

"... So basically, we erased your memories afterwards, to clear the cache of your so called Reading Steiner, to ensure you don't keep on switching world lines", Kurisu finished her explanation and gave a small smile. Okarin was baffled at how absurd that all seemed. To him, the world was still in the boundaries of what common sense was, having no recollection of the experience in the summer of 2010 and the following year. But now hearing the coincidences that Convergence dictated, both Mayuri's and Kurisu's death - it was a lot to process. "And that has obviously worked...", Okarin muttered while holding his chin in thought. Had he really wanted to hear that? "Up until now, at least", Kurisu stated and stared back at the skyline of Akihabara. It was weird, now that Okarin knew again, to Kurisu. For already a while she was used to keeping it a secret from everybody - the only person who knew still wasn't even born yet - and yet, it was an enlightening feeling to know that she was not alone anymore and could share her thoughts with somebody, it was even Okarin! Without being able to help it, the heat rushed to Kurisu's cheeks. Luckily, it didn't seem like Okarin noticed, since he was too focused on wrapping his head around all the information she just told him. "I'm sorry I didn't originally tell you, I was just afraid that you'd have to go through something like that again, and just imagining that made me...", she started, but choked on her words. Kurisu's tsundere characteristics were kicking in again, as she realized how caring she was acting and what Okarin must be thinking right now. "D-don't get the wrong idea, I-". "You're precious, Christina", Okarin laughed, totally interrupting Kurisu's makeshift excuse, that anyway wouldn't have worked. In a way, she was glad to see him laugh that way. She had been worrying all this time, never had she really been able to relax, but now, she could feel herself calm down and her mind stop to race. It was a nice feeling. "Anyway, from what you told me about the 'Alpha attractor field', it seems that the other me's story is legit", Okarin said after he was done laughing. That was another thing Kurisu had also been worrying about. "So that was the reason, why you actually wanted to talk to me?", Kurisu questioned, not being able to suppress her inner frown. "Exactly. I thought that maybe when I'd hear the story from a person I could trust that I'd find inconsistencies, but I could find none", Okarin sighed and clutched his head, "It's not that I don't trust myself, I mean it is Hououin Kyoma after all, I just don't want to risk loosing any of this". Whenever he interacted with the other Okarin, he always felt an unease. It was already weird talking to yourself, but there was something else about him. He spilled his secrets way to easy, if he really was so loyally working for SERN. If the reason he came indeed was only for the purpose of testing this world line transference machine, then shouldn't SERN also have planned a way for him to come back in some way? It was suspicious. But then again, after hearing the story from Kurisu herself, SERN did seem a bit ridiculous - as in the way they worked. "Yeah, that was also on my mind", Kurisu admitted and crossed her arms. There were a lot of things on her mind right now, so many reasons why the other Okarin was probably keeping something from them, yet she couldn't convince herself. 'It's Okabe. He's anyway to dumb to think of anything sneaky', she kept telling herself, but that Okarin was not the Okarin she knew. Not only did he not act like Hououin Kyoma which is disturbing, but he seemed awfully quiet at times. However, that could be connected to the trauma he had trying to save Mayuri, but failing. Therefore, perhaps his attitude was justified. "Did you notice?", Kurisu asked, sounding totally random. She quickly covered her mouth, before smiling apologetically. "I mean how he was using some device". Okarin's eyes widened. He hadn't noticed that, as a matter of fact. "I hadn't... Why does he have a phone?", Okarin thought out loud and grabbed his chin in thought. There was no reason for him to need a phone. Unless... "Kurisu!", Okarin suddenly yelled, or rather spoke extra loud. The girl in front of him flinched, before glaring at Okarin. However, he didn't worry about that in that moment. "The d-mail... If I were unconscious, would Reading Steiner still work?!", asked Okarin while grabbing Kurisu shoulders and staring into her blue-ish purple eyes. They widened at the question - she understood what he was hinting at - but shook her head. "That shouldn't be possible...", Kurisu answered, uncertainty lining her tone. Okarin removed his hands off Kurisu and turned his back to her while in thought. Perhaps the other Okarin had been drifting down world lines, trying to find the optimal path to fulfill his plan. Of course, only an expert conspiracy theorist could come up with something like that though of course it wasn't even impossible. "Disregarding that, if he'd send a d-mail, then SERN would catch onto him", Kurisu muttered while holding her chin in thought. Suddenly, Okarin had an idea. A ridiculous one, but not implausible. "What if one would use another messaging service to send d-mails. Like for example D-Rines?", he suggested. Kurisu's eyes widened. "Oh God...", she then uttered, before putting her hand over her mouth. It was clear now. It was certainly possible. "But do we have proof?", Okarin asked. However, Kurisu shook her head. That's what he thought. Everything they'd been talking about was just a hypothesis. "Then do we just keep an eye on myself?", Okarin questioned and shrugged, not sure what to do. "That's a good idea. Acting irrational may not be of benefit right now", Kurisu answered, before smiling warmly. "Anything else?", she asked. At that moment, Okarin's cheeks burned up. As a matter of fact, there was one more thing. He took a step towards the small girl, before embracing her. Kurisu was so surprised at that, that she was just unable to speak for a moment. "What are you-". But she was cut off. "You can tell me, what is bothering you, you know", Okarin said, referring to the time, when Kurisu got all touchy when talking about the plan during the Round table meeting. Kurisu's eyes widened. She hadn't told Okarin about the time, when her own father attempted to kill her, because she found it unimportant. In all fairness, it felt a bit too personal to share with anybody. If anyone found out, he'd go to jail and hate Kurisu even more - that was the reason she hadn't told anybody. However, now she would have to tell Okarin. "When you avoided my death and deceived the world...", she started, "... I was getting attacked by my father, or whom you may know as Doctor Nakabachi. In another world line, I die because I get stabbed by... Him". Kurisu's words baffled Okarin. Why would a father despise their daughter so much? Then, he thought of the genius inside of Kurisu's head and straight got the gist. Doctor Nakabachi was jealous. "I understand... Have you tried calling him and ruling things out?", Okarin asked. But Kurisu shook her head. "He fled to Russia and then disappeared...", Kurisu admitted, while tears seemingly started forming in her eyes. After that, Okarin stepped back a little and ended the hug, giving a warm smile. In that moment the damm broke. Tears started flowing out of Kurisu's eyes like waterfalls. She had been bottling up all of these emotions. But now she could let loose. She could cry now. That's what Okarin's smile radiated, and meant. So Kurisu took a step forward and leaned onto Okarin, before full on crying on his shirt. Okarin just caressed her head and let her cry, since he himself didn't know how to help her. But he knew, that right now she needed a should to cry on.

"Sorry about that...", Kurisu muttered as she walked down the stairs to the lab with Okarin. That was actually the third time that she said sorry. And Okarin's reply was also the same as the past two times: "Don't sweat it". He was just happy that Kurisu felt a bit better now. Just as the two were going to open the door to the lab, someone else opened it and stormed out, before hastily running down the stairs and leaving. "Was that just-?". Kurisu nodded. "Hey, what happened in here?", Okarin asked as he entered the room, just to see the other Okarin staring at the wall in utter confusion.

"What just happened...".


End file.
